> Wesker in Equestria
>  by DeepThought
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Facing A New World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Facing A New World


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Wesker was alive. The former chairman of Umbrella felt no pain, when he awoke from unconsciousness. Remembering how he was burned by lava, two RPG grenades rocketing into his direction, he wondered how he survived Kijuju. Even he, the genetically superior, incredibly strong and fast mastermind - the embodiment of Nietzsche’s ideal of the Übermensch - should be dead now. And he was aware of that fact.

Wesker had been so foolish, his mind clouded by the effects of the Uroboros virus, that he didn’t realize how the two cretins, Chris and Sheva, tricked him into his defeat. His usual rational, calculating and calm self had been replaced by unhealthy, hot-burning fury. It was his greatest failure. His plan, his personal genesis - gone. It was his responsibility alone.

He could have ended Redfield and his companions so many times. Still this moralist moron lived, because Albert instead of getting rid of a dangerous nuisance, wanted to play with him like a cat with mice. Albert's own hubris, his believing to be a nearly omnipotent god, led him to his final defeat.

But there was no sense in dwelling on the past. Revenge had to wait. Whatever awaited him now - whatever saved him - was to be faced. His senses were returning slowly. The sound he heard was almost like the chirping of birds. But that would be impossible... Right? Last time he checked he was deep in a volcano, fighting his personal nemesis.

“Chris!” he muttered grimly under his breath as he opened his eyes. The sun was blinding him; Wesker didn’t wear his trademark shades. A soft breeze was rustling through his hair and he felt the blades of grass on his exposed skin, since his clothing was ragged - signs of his last fight. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the conditions.

He was in a clearing surrounded by a thick forest, but that was not what surprised him the most.

Strange.

Was he hallucinating? His surroundings seemed to have a cartoonish flair about them. There were almost no shades, everything was pastel-colored and less detailed than he was used to.

Wesker looked at his own hands and grabbed a leaf laying nearby on the ground. Studying it closely, he compared his hands and the object and realized that not his eyesight was responsible for his surroundings seeming as they did. While his hands had the same detail and color as usual - he could even see the veins underneath his skin - the leaf was different. Feeling its surface he was surprised by its smooth texture.

Where was he? Was all of this a result of lucid dreaming? Was he in coma? Maybe something completely different? Was his imagination controlled by an external force?

Startled by an animalistic roar, he jumped to his feet, proudly noting that at least his superhuman strength and dexterity hadn't failed him. It was a small relief in an environment full of unknown variables.

The blonde man scanned the forest’s brink for the source of the sound. He was disappointed by his lack of botanical research equipment. The surrounding flora was completely new. It really was a shame. Hundreds of new species.

But that had to wait. Survival was the first and foremost point on his agenda now.

Behind the concealing foliage of a bush he noticed a large shadow quickly growing bigger. The movements of the quadrupedal creature shook the trees it passed violently. It was at least 3 meters tall.

Then it stepped into the light. Instantly neglecting the thought that it was one of his own BOWs, Wesker was confronted by the question of fight or flight. It was a frightening beast - long arms and sharp claws, a lion-like head and - to Wesker's surprise - wings far too small to support its weight.

If he didn't know better he'd assume it was a mythological manticore. This raised further doubts about his current location.
Where on earth was he? There was no place he knew about with such an absurd new variety of plants and animals...

Another roar disturbed Wesker's contemplation. Unlike other persons, though, it didn't fill him with fear, but with determination.

He fought worse!

A small grin formed on the man's normally stoic face and his eyes glimmered in a dangerous red. He was Albert Wesker, the first member of a superior human species!

Which poor creature dared to waste his precious time?

Faster than the eye could perceive he darted into the beast's direction, dodging the creature's spiked tail that nearly pierced his body. In the process a few drops of a clear fluid dropping from a small hole at the end of said tail found their way on Wesker's bare chest.

“Venom,” the blonde man hissed silently, noticing the burn that followed the contact with his skin.

A quick, hard punch to the still extended tail solved the problem: he was satisfied by the sound of breaking bones. The creature howled in pain. It realized, that the man was not the easy snack it believed he would be. However, now furious and flailing with its claws, it was driven to continue the fight.

Smoothly avoiding the manticore's assaults, the former STARS captain waited for the right moment. Then he jumped, kicking the beast right in the rib cage. The forest's creature lost its balance and fell right on its already injured tail. It was clearly scared, but had no means to escape since it couldn't get back to its feet.

Observing the reaction of the defenseless, once proud predator, Wesker's grin widened to a wicked smile. Coldly he dealt the killing blow to its head, spattering the green grass with the crimson remains of manticore brain.

Looking absentmindedly at his bloodstained hands, he mused what to do next: He had to find his way back to civilization in order to continue his work. But he had to be cautious, since likely the BSAA was searching for him. He also had to find out what had happened and where he was.

So he stepped into the Everfree, following paths created by animals.





The deeper Wesker went into the forest, the more he had to admit that he had no clue where he was. Some things he saw defied the very laws of physics. Even the sun behaved strangely. It seemed to be fixed on its position in the sky, until it suddenly moved with an unbelievable speed to make space for the moon. The blonde man couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation for these sights.

And so the doubts began to grow. He was a man who liked to have a plan, but he lacked the necessary information to prepare himself for the things to come. For all he knew, his surroundings could be a gigantic test facility. That would at least explain a few anomalies... also the thought occurred to him, that this was possibly a distant island. Then all his efforts to escape the forest and find civilization might be futile. Probably someone tried to get rid of him.

The fact that he was able to feel the pain inflicted by the creature's poison was contradicting his first assumption that this was some kind of lucid dream. A coma was very unlikely as well since, due to his rapid healing, such a state wouldn't last for more than a few minutes. 

External manipulation was theoretically possible, but the odds were low. Yes, there were some experiments performed about this technique before Umbrella's downfall, but why should he dream cartoon then? What would an aggressor achieve by putting him in this state? To keep him in check they could simply sedate him after all.

This brought him to the conclusion that, as absurd as it seemed, for now he should simply act as if all of it was reality. The simple principle of Occam’s razor strongly supported this theory.





Since Wesker set his foot in the forest and started his journey, approximately 9 had hours passed. The superhuman didn’t even stop once. After his transformation so many years ago, he didn’t need much sleep anyway. Normally he stayed awake for several days in a row. His desire to get out of the forest and his concerns regarding the wildlife drove him forward.

The first rays of sun fell through the now remarkable thinner leaf canopy, revealing some kind of dirt road before him. Noticing imprints on its relatively soft surface he kneeled down and eyed them closely. Horseshoes, clearly a sign of human domestication. Following the marks down the road he finally reached the forest's border. Again his sensitive eyes were assaulted by the merciless sun.

In the valley that was now before him, laid a little bavarian-styled town. The blonde man could see small colorful dots move all around it.

Finally...
> Out Of Place
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Out Of Place


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Instead of heading directly into the direction of the settlement, the man clothed in black rags studied the landscape closer. The view was idyllic. Only a few tiny, sheeplike clouds obstructed the deep blue sky. A small stream muttered its eternal song nearby. To his left he could see a gigantic apple orchard spanning over miles of land. Although it was early in the day, the air was pleasantly warm. Wesker’s sharp nose noticed a complete lack of civilization’s ‘background smell’ - cars, planes, ships, and industrial plants would normally leave their distinct odor. The road before him split into two smaller ways, one leading directly to a farm house in the orchard.

After Wesker quenched his thirst with the water the river generously provided, he decided to go to the farm first. Farmers usually started work early in the morning. He was therefore less likely to be caught entering the main building where the family lived. He had to remain unseen, since he didn’t know whether he was considered a threat to the public or not. His mission was to use any means to gather information he could find to catch up with the current situation. Stealing a few supplies - clothing, food, probably weapons - was his secondary objective.

Staying near the brink of the forest in the shadow of the trees, the blonde man swiftly closed the gap between him and the building. At least a few miles from his position, he could see a figure working in the orchard. His assumption had been correct. Snapping an apple from a proud tree, he bit into the fruit and chewed. Self-proclaimed god or not, he had to consume food to stay alive. And this apple was rather delicious.

Spying through the farm house’s windows, he made sure there was no one inside. Although it seemed strange to him that he barely fit through the entrance due to its small size, he entered nonetheless. The door was unlocked, so he didn’t have to force his way in.

Wesker stood in a small corridor. To the right was a staircase and the ceiling was so low he had to cower constantly. Intently, Albert listened to the surrounding noises. Then he opened the first door on the left and stepped in, barely making any sound. A couch, a table, a fireplace - the living room. In a wooden frame was a picture of four pastel horses, standing near a barn, colored in the same shade of red as the one he just entered. Confused Wesker noticed they were smiling. One of them, the smallest one, also wore a bow. What a strange sense of art...

There was nothing to be seen there. Wesker left the room exactly like he found it, turning to the second door. It was a kitchen.

In one corner stood a simple coal oven by a white drawer sideboard. The door to the back porch was slightly open, allowing a small gust of wind to pass. The room’s center was dominated by a long, low dining table. No chairs? No fridge? As in the previous room, a few candles were scattered around. So backwards...

The blonde man’s vague suspicion turned into realization. There was a complete lack of standardized, mass-fabricated goods and no electricity. Even the materials the house was built of, the uneven surface of the wooden walls, the crude nails and the plank floor hinted that it has been build by hand, only using the simplest tools. In every household in the hellholes of Africa had been at least a few proofs of human advancement - machine-made textiles, cell phones, television, plastic... This was not the case here.

How isolated was this place? Was this a remote Amish community? It was a tad too colorful, though... Anyway, this was good news since it probably meant that no one had heard of Wesker, the man who’d almost brought doom and destruction to mankind.

Searching for anything useful, Wesker opened the kitchen drawers. A few clean sets of silverware, several cooking utensils and knives. The blonde man also located a fresh loaf of bread, smelling sweetly as if it had been made only a few minutes ago. He took the bread and a particularly sharp knife and wrapped them in a piece of cloth decorated with a stylized form of a heart.

Albert left the room behind and was just about to enter the next when he heard what sounded like footsteps. He hesitated. Deciding it was the best not to get caught since that’d definitely be the wrong way to make acquaintance with the local population, he headed to the kitchen, remembering the back door. Wesker could come back later, when the conditions were better.

But what he saw there left him dumbfounded. The same small pony with a red bow he had seen in the picture was making itself a sandwich. Its limbs were fascinating flexible; the creature’s incredibly large eyes and its facial expression revealed a human-like form of intelligence. There was no doubt it was sentient. All of this, especially the house’s dimensions, made sense now.

Just in that moment it turned around and noticed the threatening figure of the human gawking at it. He had to be taller than the pony by at least three times.

It was no wonder it began to scream, “Appleeeeeejaaaaaaack!”

Oblivious to the angry mare charging at him from behind, Wesker continued to stare at the filly, lost in thought. He instantly came up with a few theories explaining the existence of this strange creatures. Then a mighty buck threw him through the door frame into the kitchen. In the process pieces of furniture were damaged. Wesker lost the grip on his small package of loot.

“Run, Applebloom! Get Twilight!”

Did it just speak English?

A bit dazed, but otherwise unharmed, Wesker back stood up. Seeing the blow’s source, the strong, fuming farm pony, he got into a defensive stance.

He knew he was in trouble.
> Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Peace


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Several thoughts raced through Wesker's mind. He had officially seen everything now. In the laboratories where he used to work, things had happened that - on the first look - defied all laws of nature. But these little, colorful, equine creatures took the cake. In all his time at Umbrella, they had never achieved creation of sentient life. Not that they didn’t try... This was either incredibly advanced technology or a completely new species humankind had been unaware of. But how was that possible? Satellites orbited the whole planet. There were digital maps of its surface. And it was not like they lived secretly under the cover of a tropical forest...

What happened now was exactly what Wesker wanted to avoid. One of these creatures was likely to be no trouble, but if all of them turned against him, it would be a completely different story. Hurting this strange orange mare was out of question. It was now a matter of running or waiting until the authorities arrived. To achieve a diplomatic solution, Wesker had to treat them with respect. Also there was the possibility that they’d never met a human before, therefore regarding him not only as a thief but also as a dangerous, mindless beast. An animal.

He could at least try to establish communication.

When her second attack came, the blonde man dodged it with his usual superhuman speed. Now that he was aware of her presence, she wouldn't even land a single hit. The surprised mare tried to stop her attacking sprint, but she was simply too fast. The momentum of the failed buck crashed her into the wooden wall. Now being halfway stuck in the shattered remains, back first, her eyes widened in fear.

This was his chance. She would have to listen to him, since in her immobile state she couldn't continue her futile assaults. Wesker turned around, towering over the frightened mare, and spoke up,

“Miss, I apologize for my unheralded entrance. There is no sense in continuing your attacks. I don't pose a threat to you nor to your family.”





When the evil critter, obviously originating from the Everfree Forest, started to talk in perfect Equestrian, Applejack was baffled. It had this distinct villain vibe about it, but it didn’t strike, although it had her at its mercy. In the bipedal's expressionless face, two red-glowing orbs, its eyes, stared down at her fixedly.

“My name is Albert Wesker. May I inquire yours?”

Its voice was cold as ice, lacking any empathy. But judging by its deep, masculine sound, it was a stallion.

“I’m Apple-Applejack,” she stuttered.

“It’s a shame we met under these circumstances. I was in a dire need of supplies after I escaped the nearby forest. When I saw your impressive farm, an admirable sight, I knew this was where to turn to.”

She couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.

“Why didn’t ya ask then? We’d have kindly given you what ya needed.” she responded.





Keeping a completely straight face Wesker told her,

“Are you sure of that? Just look at me. Wouldn't my appearance cause commotion? I wanted to spare you those worries, until I could be sure you reacted positively. My kind is unknown to you, after all. I can imagine I look rather threatening. Your voice betrays your fear.”

It was a shot in the dark. He was aware that he played a dangerous game. The made up information could possibly be wrong. For all Wesker knew, there were humans living just among them. This would also explain how a race only having hooves could have built the village. 

Ultimately, the ability to use tools was what allowed humankind to conquer Earth. But it seemed he was lucky. Her expression told him she somewhat agreed with what he’d said.

Suddenly, a white flash blinded the former Umbrella researcher. When Wesker’s vision returned he was surrounded by a purple sphere. Was that a force field? A second mare had arrived. Her fur’s color was the same as said sphere’s. But unlike the farm pony, she had wings and a horn protruded from her head. A unicorn?

Then Applejack was levitated out of the remains of the wooden wall, illuminated by a strange light. The two of them had a spirited conversation, but Wesker couldn’t hear their voices. The blonde man concluded the obvious: the barrier was soundproofed.

He was unsure how to proceed. Studying his jail closely he noticed that it - when touched - emitted a low current. If he acquired this technology, he would have a great advantage over his enemies, Wesker mused. One more reason to stay peaceful and gain their trust.





A few minutes later Wesker was released. The sphere flickered and vanished. Before him stood the little, winged unicorn, eyeing him with obvious suspicion.

“Well, Mr. Wesker, I’m Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. And although I have to admit that I’m curious about your species - as far as I know it is indeed new to Equestria - it’s only my friend’s word, that keeps me from banishing you to the Everfree. She told me that your only reason to trespass was only to avoid a disturbance. Is that correct?”

“It is,” Wesker said darkly.

“That’s still no reason to steal,” her voice still carried an accusing tone, “But at least you didn’t intend to hurt my friends.”

Her expression brightened a bit. She looked back to the cowpony, who showed a reassuring smile. It almost looked like she was new to her role...

“I will now teleport us both to my house in Ponyville. It’s the village down in the valley, if you didn’t know. Applejack, please ask the girls to come, too. We’ll need to find an appropriate punishment, and I’d rather have you helping me.”

Wait, teleport?





Wesker never felt so nauseous before. The world around him spun in circles. Instantly he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.


> A Letter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Letter


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Wesker focused his gaze on the floor and slowly regained his balance, noticing the change of ground. No more were it planks beneath him, but rather one smoothed wooden surface. After Wesker’s vision stopped blurring, he carefully got back to his feet and stood up.

The blonde man scanned his surroundings intently. They had completely changed. Wesker was in a circular room adorned by several bookshelves. Not only the floor seemed to be made of one piece, but also its rest, as if it had been carved out of a gigantic tree. A small, open staircase led to a separated sleeping area, furnished with a relatively big, blue-sheeted bed and a chest of drawers. Embedded in the walls were several round glass windows.

The room was a mess. Papers and books were scattered everywhere. In its center stood a blackboard; a mathematical equation was written on it. A telescope on a stand rested against a wall near a few potted plants.

The purple unicorn hesitantly offered a hoof to stabilize the still slightly shaking man. Then she spoke up,

“Are you ok? Not everyone reacts well to teleporting.”

She sounded genuinely worried.

“I feel... better. There is no reason to distress yourself, Princess Sparkle,” the blonde responded in a daze. Wesker didn't need her help; he could take care of himself. But if she really had the authority to make decisions about his fate, he should definitely get on her good side, no matter how inexperienced and insecure about her role she seemed.

Twilight nodded.

“Mr. Wesker, please wait here, while I meet my friends downstairs.”





Her friends hadn’t arrived yet. Only a few minutes had passed since she had asked Applejack to bring the rest of the their friends to the library. On the way to Golden Oak’s main room, she met her assistant Spike, the baby dragon, reassorting the shelves.

“Spike?”

“Yes, Twilight,“ he replied.

“I’m doing research on a new species. Would you please get me ‘Starswirl’s Strange Creatures’, ‘Clover’s Clever Critters’ and ‘Anon’s guide to Equis’ fauna and flora’?”

“Of course, Twilight!”

Her number one assistant handed her the said books. One after another, she skimmed through them in record time while the frown on her face grew. Sighing, she decided to inform Princess Celestia about the strange occurrences, despite having promised herself after her coronation to stop relying on her idol to take care of her businesses. Therefore she asked Spike - once again - to stop his work,

“Spike, please get me a scroll and a quill.”

“Okay.”



Dear Princess Celestia,

This is not another friendship report, but a request for advice.

Today I stopped a creature who calls himself Wesker from stealing from my friend Applejack, causing her and her family a great amount of terror. He is a member of a sentient species formerly unknown to ponykind. There is no mention of it in the standard reference books, nor have I heard about it before. He is bipedal, but unlike a minotaur, his build is rather slim, standing approximately two meters tall. Physically, he is comparable to the apes living in Zebraca. Except for a bit of blonde hair on his head, I assume his mane, he has no fur - his upper body is naked, while his lower body is covered in a ragged pair of pants. I have attached a drawing.

However, the most outstanding attributes are his eyes. Glowing in a crimson red, they are very cat-like. I conclude that he is probably a creature of the night. Judging by the flat facial structure, it could be a predator species.

To put it in a nutshell, he looks rather threatening, almost villainous. But I assure you, we won’t repeat our mistakes. This isn’t going to be another Zecora incident. Despite the fact that Applejack attacked him and he managed to render her defenseless without using force, he didn’t lay a hoof on her. Also, Mr. Wesker didn’t resist when I arrived, though we didn’t meet on the best of terms. Even his act of stealing wasn’t meant to harm, but only to self-sustain. As he explained to Applejack, he was aware that his appearance would cause fear, therefore deciding to avoid ponies and gather information and supplies by entering her house unseen. I don’t believe he is a bad pony, perhaps a bit misguided...

What I wanted to ask you, Princess, is if you are aware of any species matching this description, extinct or non-extinct?

Your faithful student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.



Bored, Wesker snooped through the papers and discovered all of them were unfinished approaches to solving the relatively easy equation on the blackboard. He struggled with himself, but then decided to show some good will. He started solving it on the blackboard.

It was strange how a race that perfected teleportation and forcefields, obviously didn't invent calculus and still had no electrical light. Something didn't add up and he was determined to find out what were the reasons for these inconsistencies.

Just a few minutes after she had finished the letter, her friends arrived.

“Hi, Twilight,” they said in unison, all happy to see the bearer of the Element of Magic unharmed.

“Hi, girls. Please come in,” the alicorn responded cheerfully, while pointing with her hoof inside.

The five mares followed Twilight to the kitchen, where Spike considerately prepared tea and put cookies on a plate.

“I assume all of you know what happened?”





When he finally heard hoofsteps, Wesker was relieved. He hated wasting his time with waiting. He’d already successfully solved the equation. Whatever happened now, he would face it. He couldn't stand being idle.

Applejack, Twilight and four more colorful ponies entered the room.

When the Princess saw Wesker's handwriting on her blackboard a frown spread across her face, and she huffed. Nopony had the right to spoil her work... But then realization dawned and her eyes widened. This was brilliant!

> Judgement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Judgement


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Twilight’s friends mustered the Princess curiously; the purple alicorn’s muzzle was agape, her eyes were fixated at the blackboard, obviously the source of her astonishment. Deep in thought, she muttered some incomprehensible words.

Rarity hmmpfed and tapped her friend lightly on the shoulder, but Twilight didn’t react. Awkwardly, the fashionista smiled at the tall human, who kept his emotionless expression. Cold, alien eyes rested on the ponies, who were starting to sweat nervously. Well, except a certain bubblegum-pink party pony, bouncing up and down excitedly, oblivious to the possibly dangerous creature just before her and instead happy to make another new friend.

“Twilight, the new edition of ‘Magic - Advanced Learning’ just arrived,” Rarity tried to bring the Princess back to reality. Successfully! Twilight blinked several times and became aware of her surroundings again. Sheepishly, she said,

“Got carried away again, huh?”

The girls nodded and the alicorn blushed.

Magic?

Twilight turned to the tall form of the human.

“This solution to Canterlot University's annual mathematical competition is brilliant, Mr. Wesker. None of my colleagues even found a viable approach, yet... Where did you learn this?”

Wesker hesitated for a moment, but decided to play along. Being a researcher was no crime, but revealing more about his past could be dangerous. The little trust these creatures had into him, because he didn't resist, when their Princess arrived, would be instantly and completely shattered.

“I'm a scientist, Princess Twilight. To perform my tasks it is necessary,” he responded vaguely, fully aware that he didn't answer her question.

'Isn't it a piece of luck that the first of these creatures we meet happens to be a scientist? Somepony determined to improve the lives of all of us through research and hard work... What a great opportunity!' she mused, beaming at the human.

Twilight didn't know how wrong she was about this certain individual. Still, he didn't tell her where exactly he was from - his reply didn't satisfy her thirst for knowledge.

“So, are...” the purple pony tried to dig deeper, but she was interrupted by Rarity,

“What Twilight wanted to say is that we think we found an adequate punishment. Is that correct, Princess?”

The alicorn's giddiness vanished, and she became serious again. She cleared her throat. There were more important important matters to attend to at the moment.

“You're right, Rarity.”

Twilight collected her thoughts and began,

“I, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, Element of Harmony and Princess Celestia's personal student, hereby pass my judgment. The individual known as...”

The Princess stopped and looked both expectantly and ashamed in the human's direction. She had forgotten his first name, he realized.

“Albert,” the blonde said neutrally. Inwardly he groaned, but he was used to dealing with foreign dignitaries, company representatives, and even nobles. His time as Umbrella's chairman had taught him to show patience in the face of incompetence.

Twilight continued, once again clearing her throat, “The individual known as Albert Wesker is guilty of theft and trespassing. However, considering the special circumstances, we decided to temper justice with mercy. Your sentence is: 50 hours of community work and compensation for the Apple family's destroyed property. Any objections?”

It was a humiliation. He, the most powerful man alive, picking up garbage? Ridiculous, but it could have been worse...

His expression stayed calm despite his inner turmoil and he responded coldly,

“I accept my punishment.”

Twilight relaxed. For a short moment she had expected this stone-faced, alien creature to refuse. The girls breathed a sigh of relief and collectively wiped the sweat from their faces. Smiling encouragment at the human, Twilight added,

“Well then, Mr. Wesker, I can assure you that repaying your debt to Applejack won't be a problem at all. The trophy money you'll receive from Canterlot University for solving the problem will be more than enough.”

The blonde man nodded mechanically.

“Do you plan to stay in Ponyville?”

“Yes, indeed I do, Princess Sparkle.”

“Drop the title, please. It is unnecessary. You are no longer a culprit.”

“As you wish, Miss Twilight.”

“Just Twilight... I want to introduce you to my friends now.”

She pointed with her hoof at the blonde farm pony, who in return tipped her Stetson, “You've already met Applejack.”

“Howdy, Ah hope we can start from anew now. No hard feelings, right?”

“Definitely,” Wesker replied. Definitely not.

“This is Rarity, the local fashionista,”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wesker,” a white-furred unicorn with a styled, deep-purple mane responded.

“The pleasure is all mine. I will need your services in the future. My clothes are nothing but rags and this indecency is not acceptable."

The next pony the recently coronated Princess introduced was a prismatic pegasus mare.

“Rainbow Dash, Element of loyalty.”

“Ugly ape, I'll keep an eye on you. I won't allow you to hurt my friends again,” the pegasus spat hostilely, now hovering only a few centimeters from Wesker's face.

“Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed, "What did I tell you about antagonizing Mr. Wesker?"

“Okay, nice to meet you,” Rainbow Dash muttered hesitantly, after giving her purple friend a sour face.

What happened now took Wesker a few seconds to comprehend. A pink flash zipped with incredible speed towards the human, who had no time to dodge the "attack", and crashed into his chest. He realized it was the bubbly, puffy-haired mare, hugging him with bone-crushing strength.

Twilight facehoofed.

“This is Pinkie Pie...” she explained apologetically, “She's Ponyville's party pony.”

“HI THERE! DO YOU LIKE PARTIES? I LIKE PARTIES. AND CUPCAKES! AND VIRUSE...”

Before the blonde man could respond, the mare was gently levitated from his chest, surrounded by another purple bubble.

“Pinkie's a bit random,” Twilight sighed.

Wesker noticed that the cream-colored mare, who had cowered behind her friends, had disappeared.

“And this is Fluttershy,” the purple alicorn finished her introduction, only to find an empty space where her hoof was pointing at.

“Urghhhh... Never mind. I want to show you something.”





Pony and human went down two floors in a wooden staircase before they arrived in what obviously was the basement. The rest of the girls waited in the library above. Twilight's horn lit up and instantly hundreds of candles began to burn.

The room was a fully-equipped lab, including microscopes, petri dishes and erlenmeyer flasks. What a glorious sight!
> Opportunities
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Opportunities


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






A small, genuine smile played on his lips when Wesker examined the equipment with the strange purple pony. He was back in his 'natural' environment. Feeling like a bird in the wide open sky or a fish in the deep blue sea, Albert was overcome by a strange sense of inner peace - the labs were where his 'magic' happened. His time as a researcher had been the best of his life. Driven by absolute determination to achieve something world-changing, he had worked with his one and only friend William. They’d inspired each other to reach new heights of scientific advancement.

His death was a pity and one of Wesker's rare failures. A brilliant mind was gone because the blonde had underestimated the government’s forces. But the boyish-looking scientist's last gift remained: Wesker's superhuman abilities. In the following years, the blonde man tried to make it up by watching secretly over Birkin's child, Sherry, making sure none of her father's former enemies 'bothered' her.

“Are you familiar with these devices?” Twilight inquired curiously, bringing the human back to reality.

“Yes, except the ones back in the right corner. They are probably only different forms of machines I already worked with, but they actually seem to be unfamiliar,” he replied truthfully. “Judging by your higher level of technology in certain fields, I can only assume their purpose.”

Confused the recently coronated princess looked at Wesker,

“How can you be a scientist without basic magic current testing devices?”

He stopped a moment to contemplate his answer. She couldn't mean magic as in smoke and mirrors. So was she mocking him?

That was rather unlikely. Was 'Magic' a synonym for something he already knew, probably electricity? It was astounding enough that these equine creatures shared his language. Could he really be sure that it matched 100 percent?

“You keep saying 'Magic', Twilight. What do you mean by that?" he simply asked.

The princess looked dumbfounded, but quickly regained her confident smile. There were a few individuals from less magically-gifted races she knew, that had been unfamiliar to the concept...

“Well, every pony, everything in Equestria, is inhabited by a force, which brings us life. It manifests in different forms, as active and passive abilities. Earth ponies, who don't have wings or horns, are good with plants and animals. Also they are much stronger and sturdier than the other races. Pegasi channel their magic through their wings, which allows them to fly and control the weather. And last but not least unicorns, the most talented users of magic, can cast spells by using their horn,” she explained.

Her voice sounded as if she was quoting fragments of a book. Well, it fit. She seemed to be the more academic type.

Was what she had just told him a sort of ancient caste system?

“For example the purple sphere that surrounded you when you was captured was my shield spell. And every day and night, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna raise and lower moon and sun.”

Rather a religion, he mused. How could two beings move astral bodies, and what kind of solar system would that be? This sounded like the Middle Ages. Simply unbelievable.

Yet he had noticed the strange day and night circle, the sudden movement of moon and sun over the sky. Also he had seen Twilight perform those 'spells'. There had to be a grain of truth in it. Now it was his task to separate the chaff from the wheat.

Suddenly a terrifying thought appeared to him. Was he still on Earth? All of this did add up. An equine species unknown to humankind, but living in the plain, strange powers and technology, a completely new variety of wildlife and plants. But there were also many parallels between the worlds. The odds for these being mere coincidences were incredibly low. He decided he needed more information before he could come to a satisfying conclusion.

“So you're saying that these 'spells' were a product of your natural and inherent abilities?”

“Indeed,” she answered, “If you want, I can show you the measuring devices in action.”

Wesker nodded slowly, so the mare went over to the strange, wardrobe-sized device and started pushing and pulling levers. Several lights flashed on the control panel, and the machine emitted a low whistle. Then the alicorn put a helmet-like contraption on her head, obviously enjoying herself.

Instantly a needle on the reading display jumped to the far end of the scale.

“This is my basic magic level,” she told him, “It is around 20 Starswills, which is rather high. Come here, please.”
She handed Wesker the helmet, gesturing encouraging to put it on, which he reluctantly did. The alicorn pushed a button, but nothing happened - the needle didn't move at all.

“Strange, I was sure after AJ told me how strong and fast you are that it would show at least the amount common for an earth pony,” she pondered, putting her hoof to her chin.

Then her expression suddenly changed. Now beaming at the stone-faced man, she spoke up,

“Anyways, I want to offer you to work with me, here in the lab. I would teach you about the culture and history of my ponies as well as have you would teach me about yours. Also we would exchange scientific knowledge to our mutual advantage. What do you think?”

This was a great opportunity. The blonde man had the chance to conduct experiments on magic, the local flora and fauna, sharing bits and pieces of his knowledge, while becoming a trusted member of society, in a well-equipped lab funded by a naive pony princess. Secretly he could work on his own account from the shadows, figuring out exactly how and why he’d ended up there.

“I accept. It would be an honor to work with a Princess,” he responded, disgusted by his own bootlicking tone.

Much depended on this... too much.
> Welcome (?)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Welcome (?)


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






A few minutes later, after talking about the concrete details of their agreement, the two of them, human and pony, rejoined the rest of the group in the library’s main room where they were chatting lively with a lizard-like creature. When the four mares noticed the figure of the man, instant, awkward silence conquered the room - the baby dragon gulped loudly, his eyes were widening to comical dimensions.

They told him about their strange guest, but Spike didn’t expect the bipedal to be as tall as he was. An aura of cold, villainous calculation surrounded the blond-haired man. And those eyes... Twilight’s assistant trembled slightly, an action triggered by his primeval instincts. This was a predator.

Oblivious to her friend’s stupor, the alicorn turned to Spike, who continued to stare hypnotized at the calm giant, like a sheep at a wolf. He was still a baby, unfit to fight for his own life. A wave of fear washed over him.

“Spike?”

“Arrgh!” he replied suddenly, startled by the sudden interruption of his thoughts.

“This is Mr. Wesker,” she explained, worried by Spike’s reaction, while the dragon himself still eyed the suspicious human. But the panic was gone now - the presence of his adoptive mother soothed his fear.

Twilight asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course, Twilight!” the boyish-sounding dragon answered, fake confidence thick in his voice. The purple alicorn just shrugged and turned to Albert.

“This is Spike, my number one assistant. He’s a baby dragon.”

The man’s eyes fixated on the small reptile and he replied, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Bending down he lightly extended his fleshy claw. Wordlessly, the dragon took Wesker's hand as they exchanged a brief handshake, Spike’s whole body becoming tense.

Then Twilight spread the “happy” news, “Listen girls. Mr. Wesker will stay here in the library to help me with my scientific studies until we can either prepare other living arrangements, or he decides to leave. Please help him to integrate into Ponyville by giving him all the support he needs.”

Wesker could clearly see the poorly hidden frustration on the cyan mare’s face following the announcement. Considering her recent actions, she seemed to be a rather impulsive character - someone to keep an eye on. Her misdirected ire could interfere with the scientist’s plans. Like Redfield her emotional character would likely prevent her from seeing the bigger picture by stopping her from overcoming premade, self-righteous judgment.

“I will also talk to the mayor in order to introduce Mr. Wesker formerly to the Ponyvillians, so there won’t be another freak out.”

“That’s a fine idea, sugarcube, but ah really have to find my sis’. Also it’s applebuckin season... And those trees aren’t buckin themselves. Ah’ll leave now,” Applejack announced.

“Me too, I have weather duty today,” added Rainbow Dash.

“Me three. Me three!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “I promised to help the Cakes.”

“Well then... See you.” the alicorn Princess replied neutrally, while her friends exited the library. Only Wesker, Rarity and Spike were now left inside.

When the door slammed shut, Spike said with a small smile, handing his adoptive mother a still unopened scroll, “Twilight, I just remembered, a letter from Princess Celestia arrived, while you and Mr. Wesker were downstairs. I’ll clean up your mess upstairs now.”



Dear, Princess Twilight, my most faithful student,

Unfortunately I am not aware of a species matching your description. However, I am very proud of you. You handled what could have become a complete diplomatic disaster like the professional you indeed are. My trust was not misplaced in you.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia.



‘That was rather uninformative,’ Twilight mused.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed satisfied that her bipedal guest took a book from one of the shelves and started to read on the small couch. At least somepony other than herself appreciated what the library had to offer.

Rarity took her purple friend aside and whispered, “Are you sure about this, dear? Rushing into this might be the wrong approach. You hardly know Mr. Wesker, and although he seems to be mannered and gentle, I’m unsure if you should live under the same roof as him. Listen dear, I don't judge ponies based on their appearances, but this stallion just screams evil. It’s no wonder that poor Spikey-wikey is terrified to the bones.”

Twilight replied in disbelief, “Rarity, I’m disappointed in you. Didn’t we learn that just because someone looks different. He is not a bad pony?”

“But he’s a complete stranger!” the fashionista answered, her voice slightly raised, “It’s only for your best interest.”

“I’m capable of handling the situation,” she responded seriously. “Where would he stay if not here? Back to the Everfree? Definitely not... You, the Element of Generosity, should know best that refusing to help a pony in need is just wrong. There’s so much potential for cultural exchange and studies. I can’t pass this opportunity.”

Rarity hung her head in shame, embarrassed by her friend’s harsh words.

‘Perhaps I was a bit too rude. She was only concerned about my well-being,’ thought Twilight, pulling the white-furred unicorn into a hug.

“I’m sorry, Rarity. I appreciate your worry, but I’m a grown mare. I can handle him myself.”

“Just be careful, dear,” the fashionista answered defeated.

“When you’re done over there discussing my fate, would you please answer me a few questions?” startled Wesker the two ponies.





Twilight and Rarity, both blushing heavily, trotted over to the small couch. What Wesker just inquired was - to say at least - disturbing. His assumption was true! This wasn’t Earth... But how?

An atlas lay before him on a small sideboard, the open page displaying a world map. Except a few names that sounded comically similar, like the country of “Germaneigh” for example, there was nothing he could recognize - no continents, no countries, no mountains, no rivers, and no oceans that he knew.

“How exact are these maps?” asked Wesker pointing at the book.

“That’s the latest edition of ‘Equestria and the world’. It just arrived last month and except a few minor errors it’s pretty accurate,” the alicorn responded confusedly.

“I see.”

“Is something concerning you?”

Briefly Wesker considered telling her the truth, but his equine hosts were already wary of him. He didn't know what they would do, if the human explained his ‘unique’ situation. Being a different species was one thing, coming from another world was another. He had, after all, overheard the two mare’s conversation.

“It’s nothing, sweetheart,” he coldly replied.

Wesker would overcome this inconvenience in time. Probably it was not that bad for him to disappear from the scene, considering what kind of witch hunt awaited him if he went back, now that he was discovered. Maybe this strange ability of the natives, magic they called it, was the key to return to his old home, Earth, even more powerful than before, destroying his enemies and getting revenge!

The blonde man turned to the fashion pony,

“Miss Rarity, I wanted to inquire whether you can make me a few pieces of clothing. I’d pay for them with the money I will receive for solving the Canterlot University's annual mathematical competition. Twilight told me that after paying my debt to the Apple family there would be at least 3000 Bits left. Is that enough for a few articles?”

“More than enough, dear,” she answered, painfully aware that he must have heard her talk with Twilight.

“I’ll need a lab coat, two pairs of black jeans and shirts. Also a pair of shoes, and shades would be appreciated.” he told her.

“Actually... I’ll do it for free. It’s a wonderful exercise to tailor clothing for a pony with such a... ahem... unique build as yours, Mr. Wesker,” 

Rarity made up an excuse, feeling bad for Twilight’s strange guest.

‘Guilt is such a useful tool,’ the former Umbrella chairman thought.

Feeling awkward, the white-furred unicorn finally announced, “And I’ll just start now. See you...”

“Don’t you need my measurements,” the red-eyed human asked.

“No, I’ll fit it later with magic,” she responded, heading to the door, “I’ll be done in the afternoon.”

“Bye, Rarity,” said the lavender librarian.

Shortly after, Twilight also left the library. She still had to talk to the mayor.





“Silly filly, it's the bestest idea! What would a surprise party be without the surprise?” Pinkie Pie, who Twilight just met at the marketplace, obviously NOT busy doing work for the Cakes, 'explained' to the alicorn mare.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Everypony seemed to be scared by Mr. Wesker's being here. You should at least wait until the official introduction to plan anything...”

“But Twilight! He's not happy. Tell me, did you ever see him smile?”

“No, but for all we know...”

“Aha!” Pinkie interrupted her friend with a victorious scream, “and what would the audience think, if Wessie didn't come to his 'Welcome to Ponyville party?’ He can’t miss it!”

“The audience?”

“Aunt Pinkie will turn this frown upside down, so we can become suuuuuper best friends. There will be cakes and games and fun and...”

“I understand that you're excited, but please do me this one favor and wait until I have sorted out everything,” the alicorn said slightly irritated.

After putting her hoof at her chin, obviously contemplating, Pinkie replied, “Okay, Twilight... If it's so important to you.”

Then she suddenly beamed widely, “Even more time to prepare the party!” and just bounced off.

'Oh, Celestia... What did I get myself in?'





In his peripheral vision, eyes focused on a history book, Wesker caught the dragon staring intensely at him, for at least the fourth or fifth time since Twilight left. Becoming enervated, he closed the volume and looked Spike straight in the eyes.

“Yes?”

“Huh.... ehm...”

“A master of words, I see...”

The dragon huffed, causing a tiny cloud of smoke to be released in the air, his expression turning sour, “Hey, it’s not my fault that you, a criminal, ended up freeloading from Twilight!”

“So that’s what this is about?” he stated calmly, not even slightly irritated by the harsh words of the dragon, “You decided to keep an eye on me in order to keep the Princess safe. Well, I always imagined a bodyguard to be more threatening...”

His words strike home, “Twilight is like a mother to me! She raised me since I was just an egg! Of course I’m worried if somepony like you is living with us!”

Slowly Wesker stood up and then, in a blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them. His voice now a low growl, he said,

“Just to make it clear, I have no intention of harming Twilight, nor any other of your friends. This is definitely not what I signed up for, but I don’t need a childish brat to remind me of my mistakes. I thought you, as a dragon under ponies, would understand best what it is like to be different. But instead you insist on your racist misconceptions.”

Spike flinched visibly, while Wesker internally complimented himself for the good act.

Playing with their naive minds was just too easy.

‘Moralists!’ the human laughed silently.

Blushing violently, Twilight’s assistant remembered his days at Canterlot. All these times colts and fillies were laughing at him for unintentionally burning something... The stares when he ate his gems... How he’d cried...





Twilight was currently in Mayor Mare’s office, a room with a large window opposite the entrance. The walls were covered with dark oak and in the middle of the room rested a massive desk, piles of documents lay on the piece of furniture.

Wide-eyed the older mare spat her coffee in the air.

“So you’re telling me, you plan to house a foreign creature in Ponyville and want me to introduce it to the citizens?”

“Yes,” Twilight responded self confidently.

“Well, you are the princess, so don’t blame me if something goes wrong. I will schedule a town meeting this evening.”

"I understand your worries, but really, what could possibly go wrong?"





Several animalistic roars echoed through the mists of the forests. Whatever killed their brother, they would find and end it! Nostrils picked up a strange scent and the pack of manticores began their journey, furiously slaying everything alive, that stood in their way.
> The Incident
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Incident


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






After her talk with the mayor, Twilight left town hall and trotted slowly towards home as the sun reached its zenith. The streets were busy with life, ponies of all races, colors, and genders were outside, strolling around, sitting in neat little restaurants and generally enjoying the weather. A perfect day, everything was peaceful and harmonic.

In a good mood, Twilight entered the tree building, noticing - to her relief - that nothing had changed. The blonde man was still glued to the couch, reading a book. If it weren’t for the growing number of volumes before him on the sideboard, she would have suspected that he didn’t move at all.

“Welcome back, Twilight,” he said absent-mindedly, not even bothering to look up when she came in.

“Hello, Mr. Wesker. I see you are still busy. May I ask you what you are searching for? I am the librarian after all. Seeing the small stack of books I’m certain you don’t only do that for your entertainment, but also to gather information. Given that I was only out for a couple hours, you couldn't have read all of them, so I suspect you search for certain keywords,” Twilight concluded proudly.

“Very astute but not entirely true. Since I have an eidetic memory, I read these books from the first to the last page. However, I am concentrating currently on newer history and science,” he explained.

“I hope you're satisfied?”

“It is indeed a very impressive collection you have there.  I find the field of Biothaumatic especially interesting, although I will probably ask for some clarification because certain terms are unknown to me.”

She nodded eagerly, happy for the man's admiration of her work.

“I’m going to ask Spike to make lunch. Are you hungry too?”

“I am. Lunch would be appreciated,” Wesker stated neutrally, his nose back in the book.

Halfway to the second floor, where she assumed Spike was staying at the moment, a thought occurred to Twilight.

She didn't know anything about human dietary habits. How was her assistant supposed to create a meal suitable for a completely alien species? For all she knew, grain or hay, the most basic ingredients of pony cuisine, could be toxic to their metabolism.

Also the human might simply have forgotten he was no longer among his kind or assumed from what he had seen when he watched the village that pony food didn’t pose a threat to his well being at all.

At any rate, the lavender alicorn noted mentally to ask the blonde-haired man a few questions about his race when the next opportunity presented itself. This lack of information was very unnerving. How in Tartarus was the recently coronated princess supposed to keep her tight schedule with so many interruptions?

There was also the issue of whether or not he’d like any food they had to offer. Just because somepony was able to digest some pieces of food didn’t mean that they liked it. And Twilight wanted her guest to feel comfortable.

Therefore she decided to take the easy route and simply asked loudly,

“Mr. Wesker? I just realized that I’m not sure if you can eat everything we have to offer. Would you please come to the kitchen, so we can find out what is to your liking?”

“Very well, Twilight. It seems I was too absorbed by my thoughts to mind that,” his even voice echoed up the stairs.

In fact, Wesker didn’t contemplate his choice of food, because there was no need to. Whatever his equine host could serve from berries to solid steel plates, his superhuman digestive system could handle it - the act of dining was more of a necessity than a pleasure to him. Only nutritional value was his concern.





When Twilight entered the second floor she heard a barely suppressed sniff coming from the bedroom area. Huddled in his basket, buried under his sheets lay Spike, her assistant and little brother. Silently she stepped closer, kneeling down beside him.

After clearing her throat the purple alicorn asked, “What's wrong Spike?”

“Nothing, Twilight, just go away!” he answered harshly, turning to his friend, his pride injured by her seeing him cry.

Soothingly she put her hoof on his shoulder and replied, “Please don’t lie to me. You can talk about everything with me - always! Is it our guest’s presence which is upsetting you?”

“No, no!” Spike answered a tad too quickly.

“Spike?”

“Okay...” he said hesitantly, exchanging an ashamed look with the alicorn, “I was watching him, because, well, he didn’t seem to be too trustworthy, Twilight. I wanted to protect you.”

“Oh, Spike... That wasn’t necessary,” she responded softly.

“I know, Twilight... Then of course he did notice me staring at him, and when he pointed it out, I insulted him by calling him a criminal. I guess I was very mean,” he stopped, pausing to rub the tears out of his eyes. “He told me angrily how he expected better of me, since I wasn’t a pony, just like him. He told me I should understand how he feels... You know how the fillies and colts treated me in Canterlot... It instantly reminded me of that.”

“Is that still haunting you?”

“Yes, Twilight. But I’m also glad here in Ponyville everything is better...”

A few minutes later Twilight and her assistant came back into the kitchen, where the man was waiting, just as she had asked him to. Spike flinched visibly, hanging his head when he saw Wesker’s figure. Nevertheless, the librarian nuzzled his cheek encouragingly, nudging him in the blonde human’s direction.

“Ehm... I wanted to apologize for what I said,” Spike announced after a period of awkward silence.

“You were merely trying to defend your friend. There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Wesker replied in an oddly friendly tone which made Twilight smile.

‘He’s finally warming up,’ she told herself happily.

‘Idiots! So easy to fool,’ Wesker thought darkly.





“So all we have here except the hay and the gems are part of your natural diet?” she summed up.

“Indeed,” the blonde man answered coldly, surrounded by various types of vegetables, fruits, bread and dried grasses on plates and in boxes.

Looking strangely at the former captain of the S.T.A.R.S. the lavender alicorn asked hesitantly, as if she was talking about some kind of taboo,

“No offense, but I noticed your different set of teeth. Do you happen to be an omnivorous species?”

So that's what this was about... Assuming that these ponies were prey creatures, depending on a vegetarian diet, this could be a trick question, Wesker realized. But there was also no sense in denying the obvious. His facial features, the flat face, the strong jaw and his canines indicated humankind’s predatory origins. The only question was how to get the point across without committing a blunder.

“Miss Sparkle, as perceptive as usual,” Wesker said flattering, “We can consume meat, but it is not necessary for our sustenance.”

“Just like the gryphons...” she murmured. Louder Twilight asked, “But you don’t eat sentient species, right?”

Wesker stated in a matter of fact voice, “Of course not. We are not barbarians. That would be murder. I couldn’t commit such an act,” Of course he could and would if convenient or necessary, but the blonde man had the experience that people didn’t react too positively about him killing other people, but rather became really upset.

‘I can live with that. It’s not what somepony is that defines him, but who, after all,’ the princess decided.

Although Wesker didn’t care much about good food, he had to admit that what the baby dragon had prepared was delicious, even better than what was served on the several high class meetings he attended as a representative of Umbrella.

“Ok, are you ready to pick up your clothes at Carousel Boutique?” the alicorn spoke up, after a lazy period of silence due to their full bellies.

“That would be appreciated. Since you told me my introduction to the town would not be until this evening and you showed concern about revealing my presence to the public before said introduction, I assume that you'll teleport us to Miss Rarity. Is that correct?” Wesker inquired.

“Yes, you're right. We will teleport.”

Internally Wesker groaned after the confirmation of his assumption. He hoped the side effects of teleportation would lessen and his body could adapt to it.

Then, with a pop, they were gone.





Rarity was putting the finishing touches on the human’s clothes, when a sudden light blinded her eyes.

“Argh, Twilight dear, I told you that entering without knocking was rude,” Rarity whined, after her eyes had adjusted.
In the middle of the room stood her lavender friend with a concerned expression over Wesker’s bent body on the floor, shaken by cramps.

“Mr. Wesker?”

“Yes?” he answered coldly, not a hint of pain audible.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.

“Don’t mind me,” Wesker said, while shakingly standing up.

Then he stated, turning to the white-furred unicorn, “Greetings, Miss Rarity. I see you finished my order.”

“Yes, Mr. Wesker, would you strip your old... ehem... clothes?”

“It is considered a social taboo among my kind to be ‘uncovered’ in front of other individuals. But if you are comfortable with it, I guess, I can make an exception. Personally I don’t mind,” the blond explained, while he removed the ragged remains of his pants.

“Ewww, sheet it. That’s gross!” the blushing fashionista said. Averting her eyes she magically threw his new clothes at him.

Twilight muttered, with scientific eagerness, “Clothing not only as mean of protection, but it seems to be also a matter of modesty.”







Closer and closer the manticores drew to their target, while the forest became less and less dense. Not long until their righteous fury could be released upon their brother’s murderer.





After about half an hour of Rarity’s work the new set of clothes fit perfectly. Surprisingly it vaguely resembled what he had worn when he fell into the volcano. Maybe a bit less militaristic, instead more casual and of course they were not made of leather, but generally the same ‘idea’ - she was even able to acquire a pair of shades.

Wesker was satisfied. This Rarity person was a master of her trade.

Bidding farewell to the unicorn Albert and Twilight once again vanished and appeared at the back of a stage in the middle of the town square.





Twilight continued her long speech to the assembled population of Ponyville,

“So as your resident Princess I ask you, fellow Ponyvillians, to welcome Mr. Wesker. Although he will probably seem strange to some of you, he is good at heart and deserves our patience. Now, stomp for the stallion of the night, Ponyville!”

Cheers erupted from the audience, when the curtain was drawn open and the tall form of the human was revealed. Albert stepped closer to the microphone, speaking up loudly,

“Dear Ponyville, it is an honor to have the chance to speak to you tonight. As your benevolent ruler, Princess Sparkle, pointed out I might...”

His speech was interrupted by a sudden roar.

What was about to happen would be remembered as the bloodiest night of Ponyvillian history.





Three huge creatures dived from the sky straight in Wesker’s direction. Alarmed, Twilight quickly tried to erect a magical shield around the stage, but the purple sphere instantly shattered under the assault of the beasts, leaving the alicorn grasping her head in agony.

“Manticores! They're immune to magic! Run!” she yelled and panic spread in the crowd, infecting everypony like a virus. Their prey instincts kicked in and mindlessly the mass diverged, resulting in uncounted numbers of ponies helplessly stumbling and screaming.

Then the manticores landed in a circle around the stone-faced human. Furiously they lashed at Wesker, who dodged every strike they delivered with unrivaled speed and dexterity.

“Is that all you have?” Albert exclaimed, darting through a gap in the ring of beasts, not without punching the nearest one’s leg, causing it to fall over. Without hesitation he grabbed it’s now exposed tail and pulled with incredible strength, ripping it from the body. Flailing around, the monster howled in pain, but its life ended when its own spike impaled its head and blood splattered on the crowd.

“What a pity,” he remarked with a wicked grin, barely avoiding a sharp claw, before another left a small, bloody gash on his left cheek.

“You’ll pay for that!”

The manticore, that had struck him, a beast slightly taller and sturdier than its companions, didn’t see it coming. Wesker’s bare fist pierced its chest and it fell over dead..

Meanwhile the last creature of the Everfree tried to retreat over the market square, sending several ponies flying away with its strong talons, but Wesker knew no mercy.

The man leaped in the air, crossing the distance in mere seconds, and elbow-checked the manticore with the full force of his fall.

“Enough foolishness!”

Deforming its wings with his hands, he heard the satisfying sound of crushing bones. Afterwards Wesker ended the manticore like his brother in the forest by bursting its head in a thousand pieces.

It wasn’t alive anymore, however - as a last act of malice - its poisoned spike had stung a certain bare-flanked unicorn filly.
> The Quest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Quest


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






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.”
> Complications
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Complications


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought








Dear Princess Celestia,

I want to inform you of some recent events in Ponyville. The human I called a misguided thief once, Mr. Abert Wesker, defended our city bravely against the violent assault of three manticores yesterday and saved the life of Sweetie Belle, the little sister of the element of generosity, Rarity. He even risked his own well-being by doing so.

There was only insignificant property damage, but some citizens and the human were injured. They are recovering at the moment in our local hospital. To pay the expenses I ask for contribution by the royal treasury. A chart detailing the exact numbers is appended.

In addition I want to notify you of the solving of Clover the Clever's 3rd Theorem by the human Mr. Wesker. Because he seems to be an exceptional scientist and mathematician I hired him as a Royal Researcher. This is a fantastic chance to improve our own technology by cooperating with this advanced, foreign species.

Cultural exchange is my secondary objective since the origins and customs of his kind are still a mystery to us. I will inform you about anything new I might discover.

In the light of his recent achievements I also ask you to consider rewarding him with full Equestrian citizenship and mercy for his crimes.

Your faithful student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.



Before Twilight could comment on his temporary inability to speak, Rarity said in a soothing tone,

“Don’t worry, darling. It’s nothing magic can’t fix. And I,” she looked back to the rest of the girls, who smiled encouraging in her direction, “Ehm… We promise you to do everything to make it as pleasant as possible. I’m forever in your debt for saving my sister,”

Sniffing silently she pulled Wesker in a hug. When she released him the human nodded awkwardly, noticing another pony entering the room in his peripheral vision.

It was a white pony with a red cross as a cutie mark, carrying a tablet with a small cup of a deep green fluid.

“This is nurse Redheart, Mr. Wesker,” Twilight introduced the earth pony, “She took care of you since you arrived at the hospital.”

Professionally, the addressed pony replied, “It's an honor to finally meet the hero of Ponyville. Studying your unique physique was very interesting, I must admit. There are several details in your report we have to talk about once you’re fully healed. Please take this.”

The nurse hoofed him the cup, which Albert sniffed cautiously, before he consumed its content. It tasted like cough syrup, a bit minty, but left a tingling feeling in his throat. It was not unpleasant at all.

“That should fix your speech,” she commented.

After a fit of coughs he tried to speak up again, now more successful.

“Complications? Would you care to elaborate, sweetheart?” he inquired, surprised by how feminine his voice sounded.

'What is the meaning of this?' Albert asked himself

As if on cue he heard thoughts, that were clearly not his own.

'This guy from the comment box seriously threatened me to found an anti humans turned pony union? He has to be shitting me! As if I planned to turn Wesker into a pony! That would be so... lame. I wonder how my readers will react to this.'

“Mr. Wesker?” the princess asked worriedly.

“...”

‘You better pay attention now, Wesker. Otherwise you will miss something important. And we don’t want that, don’t we?’ the voice replied teasingly.

“Yes, Twilight?” the dazed human answered, "Could you repeat that?"

‘Am I losing my sanity?’

‘You didn’t have it to begin with, Wesker. G-L-O-B-A-L S-A-T-U-R-A-T-I-O-N, hehe,’ it chanted, chuckling darkly.

Albert realized the voice sounded strangely familiar. Wasn't that the same as the person’s voice in his dream? Even this thick accent would make sense, considering he was a foreigner.

‘Good perception.’

“Are you listening?”

Instead of Wesker, Pinkie Pie responded matter-of-factly, “No, silly. Wessie is too busy talking to the auth...”

“Yes,” the human interjected.

“As I wanted to explain you right now, a blood test prooved you obviously came into contact with Poison Joke, a blue flower appearing in large patches near the outskirts of the Everfree forest. The plant distorts or contorts the body of a pony so that the resulting extremes beckon ridicule from others. But due to your different genetic makeup and a resistance against its effects, you reacted stronger than usually. That is the reason why you collapsed.”

“For how long was I unconscious?”

“Two days, but…”

Wesker interrupted the alicorn, “Are the effects permanent?”

“No, but we don't know if the standard cure will work. It even could worsen the problem or cause another collapse. Therefore we sent the probes to Canterlot Hospital, the institute most advanced in Thaumatic Analysis in all of Equestria.”

'What a pity! How does being at someone's mercy feel like? My creation. Hehe...'

The word 'creation' rang a bell. Memories of Spencer, the old, arrogant fool surfaced along with buried hatred for the man, who used Wesker as a simple pawn in his struggle for world domination.

But at least he knew the reason for this nuisance now. Obviously this voice was a side effect of Poison Joke, so it was merely a figment of his imagination.

‘Well... You want proof I'm not? Look up!’

‘I’m not going to argue with a pathetic voice in my head. Smokes and mirrors don't fool me,’ he replied, fully aware of his own hypocrisy.

‘We will see.’





Although he was determined to pay no mind to this strange ‘occurrence,’ his gaze kept drifting upwards, while the ponies were still praising his heroic deeds. Sighing he finally looked at the ceiling.

In big red letters, a message was emblazoned in the stone. He was quite sure it hadn't been there when he awoke.

“I told you so.”

The scientist felt very troubled. None of this made any sense. However, the last few days had taught him that the laws of logic didn't apply in this world, at least not completely.

He blinked and the writing was gone.

“It's really not... What I wanted to say is... It's not that bad, it's... just different, “ the princess lamely tried to encourage him.

“Maybe you want to see the... ummm... changes for yourself, darling?” Rarity asked considerately.

“I suppose that is acceptable.”





With the help of Applejack and Rainbow Dash the nurse brought a large mirror into the room, while Albert slowly got to his feet and noticed that his point of view was slightly lower than he was used to.

Under the hospital gown he could see a slender pair of arms and legs. Then he focused on the mirror.

Wesker was… surprised.

‘Really?’ he thought

‘Yes, really. Honestly, what did you expect? Anyway, this is not about me, so I will leave you alone FOR NOW.’

A pink-haired, quite attractive Caucasian woman with Wesker's trademark red eyes looked back. Although it could have been worse, he was not over some chauvinistic reflexes. The scientist considered his masculinity as an essential part of who he was.

Being an intimidating, 1,90 meters tall man had often made dealing with people, especially those in power, much easier. Usually he didn't fight his enemies physically, preferring to stare them down. That was no viable option at the moment.

Also the scientist hoped this plant didn’t mess up his virus. It must have been a very ‘potent’ one to achieve such a metamorphosis.

The next thing on his agenda however was to get rid of this annoying, moronic voice. It felt like a manifestation of Irving resided in his brain. And he always despised that idiot.

‘Oh, come on. Don't be so mean,’ the voice replied faintly in a mocking tone.

A frown spread on the human’s face. Quite adorable, so to say.
> Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Preparations


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought








Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,

The tragedy that has befallen Ponyville is worrying. Usually the spawn of the Everfree are not seen outside the forrest's limits. Never before has such a violent attack occurred. We have to take precautions in order to avoid a repetition. Twenty of my best Solar Guards are on their way to Ponyville. These troops will arrive in the next two weeks and are under your command.

Of course the treasury will cover the expenses for healing the ponies harmed in this incident. Ponyville will be restored to its former glory.
Regarding the subject known as Albert Wesker I must admit I am impressed. Not only your report, but even more from the one of Ponyville's policepony Vigilant Watch, who portrayed him in a very heroic manner.

Therefore I contacted Ponyville Hospital to receive a more detailed report of his recovery. Since they wrote that Mr. Wesker is almost completely healed, except a non-clarified more permanent, but harmless condition, he should be able to travel in a couple of days.
My sister and I wish to meet him once he leaves the care of the hospital. Especially Luna who is very interested in meeting this unknown species, but I as well am very curious.

Princess Celestia



Only one day after he awoke, Wesker was released and returned to the library. The initial weakness had left him and he felt as strong as ever, even though a lingering sense of strangeness remained.

The voice didn't bother him again - as promised - but still his sense of reality was shaken. Although his brilliant mind was constantly occupied trying to figure out the reasons and consequences of this phenomenon, it was still unfathomable.

Twilight and her friends were determined to cure the man, but soon nurse Redheart received information from Canterlot Hospital, a comprehensive analysis of Wesker's blood work. Unfortunately it was unpleasant news.

It would take at least two more weeks before a suitable modification of the standard potion treatment could be finished. Nevertheless the hospital's staff seemed to be rather excited about their 'discovery' and promised to inform them about any new developments, as a note appended at the detailed chart explained. 

Learning this the human decided to pay them a visit, when he got the chance. Information in the wrong hands (or hoofs) was a potential treat to his plans.

Meanwhile Wesker continued his research on the manticore poison and began analyzing the surprisingly complex structure of a certain blue flower responsible for most of his worries. With Twilight’s magical help he started to refine the research equipment and soon he was successful.

When Twilight informed him that there would be a meeting with Princess Celestia the two of them agreed to schedule for the weekend in Canterlot Castle, he even doubled his efforts. All day and night he spent in the small lab, except a few trips into the forest.

The sun monarch was an unknown variable in this equation and depending on how this turned out this could end very violently. She, as primus inter pares of Equestria’s rulers, had absolute power. The Princess was practically a god and if the legend hold truth she even controlled the sun.

The mere thought of this was ‘unsettling’. Therefore preparation was important to increase his chances in the case of confrontation.

However after extensive studies he found out that he couldn't remove all of the poison's components, that carried venom, if he still wanted it to work. Otherwise the fluid would lose its effect and become completely useless. So the protection came with a price.

If he injected himself with his magic jammer he would feel a slightly burning sensation in his veins, which would get stronger the nearer it got to the heart, whenever he came in contact with magic. In addition he lost some of his dexterity and speed while his virus was fighting off the poison. The magic nullifying effect lasted roughly for about five hours, before it had to be renewed.

A series of tests with animals from the Everfree proved that the poison left in his 'medicine' couldn't kill. But it would lead to an extended period of unconsciousness for all those pathetic beings genetically inferior to Wesker.

The reaction of the townsfolk was ambivalent. Some ponies celebrated his victory. He was invited to countless parties and many ponies came to him to thank him personally. Politely he refused all of them - he simply couldn’t stand this naive foolishness.

He doing this out of the ‘goodness of his heart’? Ridiculous...

But there was also hostility and insecurity among Ponyville’s population. His display of unrestrained violence, the almost animalistic look of rage when he slayed the mythological beasts, frightened the pacifistic ponies. Fearful looks and muffled whispers followed him wherever he went.

However that wasn’t the most irritating change that occurred after he successfully defended the town. If being genderswapped wasn't enough, now the stallion’s were watching him lustfully. Albert, or Alberta, as Pinkie Pie called him now, was quite sure that some animosity originated from this fact, since the majority of Ponyville’s population were mares.

Now they were jealous mares and those tended to gossip, just like their human counterparts. Not that he was interested in that kind of bestiality. Even as a human he was very careful to pick his mating partners. He couldn’t afford to impregnate random women. If he was to have a son he would personally care for the potential heir of his vision.

Even when the scientist entered the wicked Everfree, a place considered very dangerous by the local population, he could swear, though, that a pair of eyes still followed him.

Maybe his imagination just got the better of the former chairman of Umbrella... Wesker had always been a very cautious, some would say 'paranoid', personality.

And probably those were members of some kind of overzealous neighborhood watch team.

But he doubted that...

To Twilight he kept his research hidden under the disguise of finding a cure that wouldn't need exotic ingredients like Zecora's. As far as he could tell the alicorn believed him - just like the rest of the Elements of Harmony.

Even this arrogant fool Rainbow Dash hesitantly, but not less genuinely, apologized for her rude behavior towards the human when Twilight left them alone to sign the release papers.

Out of the six ponies, who were the Elements of Harmony, Rarity lived up to her element the most.

Since his old clothing, as ragged as it was now after his little ‘adventure’, didn’t fit anymore, Wesker was forced to wear the lab coat to cover his indecency. But how Rarity pointed out it was no attire to attend an audience with Princess Celestia herself. So Wesker was truly grateful when she generously brought him new clothes, even if these three new sets emphasized his ‘female aspects’ a bit too much for his liking.

That doesn’t mean any of them were anything but nice, though. The human was overwhelmed with presents.

After the week was over, he packed his belongings and he and Twilight entered the chariot waiting before the library’s entrance. Soon they were on their way to Canterlot.

> Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Arrival


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Like ants, thousands of ponies, oblivious to their own irrelevance, were crawling down the streets of the massive city beneath the chariot. The pristine white streets spanned over the whole place forming a giant spider’s net. Compared to Ponyville, it seemed to be a rather modern city. From the air, Wesker could make out fast food restaurants, cinemas, and even some night clubs. The level of technology in this world was indeed very ambivalent. But that was to be expected judging by the nature of their magic.

If not for Twilight’s curious nature it would have been a very peaceful flight, but now he had to answer all her questions. He successfully avoided or only answered vaguely while he stayed in Golden Oaks burying himself in work. She even brought some kind of IQ test to this undesired ‘meeting’.

Although Spike had been left at the library, Twilight instantly afterwards sent her collected results to the palace via magic. Since she became an alicorn she no longer needed the baby dragon's services, but she didn't tell him yet because it would be 'a huge blow to his self-esteem', as she put it.

“For the protocol… Your name is?”

She scribbled furiously in her notebook,

“Dr. Albert Wesker.”

“Dr.?”

“Dr. of bioengineering.”

“Interesting. How old are you?”

“50 years old, born on the first of November 1959.”

“Wow, that’s pretty old. The average life span of a pony is only around 60 years. For unicorns it is 70. “

“It depends. In the more civilized regions it is around 80, in some only around 50. But judging on my research data I’m an exception, since there seems to be no natural limit to my life. Only through external force can I perish.”

“So you’re immortal?”

“You could say that.”

“It’s still a miracle to me how we can’t know your species.”

“... I have a theory.”

Now was the time to explain the lavender alicorn his situation before these ancient princesses in Canterlot could reveal a flaw in his story. He didn’t know how much knowledge about their world they exactly possessed, but they were around for more than 1000 years, so it had to be enormous. If only one thing he said didn’t add up or even could be spotted as an outright lie, his whole story would collapse like a house of cards. That would mean more questions - a terrible start with the rulers of Equestria, the individuals his very fate hinged upon.

“There is a chance I’m not even from this world,” he paused, “I have no clue how I got here. I should be dead, but instead I awoke in this wicked forest.”

“So you say you are an alien? How do you speak our language?” she asked skeptically.

“I’m unsure about the details, but it’s possible I came from another universe. Are you familiar with the parallel universe theory?”

“Yes.”

“It could explain the similarities of our worlds. The differences are what make me doubt this is earth, though. Some things simply don't add up. For example: the continents form completely different landmasses and also our astral bodies used to move on their own. So if this was Earth, it must be millions of years in the future or something dramatically changed my home world. That is rather unlikely. Either way I’m stuck here. ”

She was silent for a minute.

“You said you should be dead?”

“That’s a difficult subject, Twilight. One I’d rather like to avoid. But I will try to explain it… Unlike your world mine is not a bunch of rainbows and sunshine… Judging by the books you kindly lent me, there live around 200 Million sentient individuals on this planet. Is that correct?”

“220 Million to be exact, but yes.”

“What would you say if I told you that on Earth, that’s where I come from, 7 billion humans live on a surface that is barely larger than Equis’.”

“7 Billion?” she asked in shock.

“Yes, we have outgrown the planet’s capability to sustain us. We are overpopulated, but still mankind continues as if it was nothing. Every day we are one step closer to self-destruction. There is war, pestilence, and suffering. I wanted to help… I wanted to end our misery, but some short-sighted individuals didn’t agree with my methods. They hunted me down. And although they were after my life I didn’t lay a finger on them, even when it was in my power to end their pitiful existences... I tried to show them their mistakes, but they were too self-righteous, too foolish to see the bigger picture. They didn’t change their ways. Some then, shortly before I could deliver the cure, confronted me... Humanity was denied my blessing. And after I was defeated by those fools, I was thrown into a volcano. I can remember how the hot lava burned the skin of my flesh, how my hair went aflame and my consciousness lapsed out like a candle in the wind. That should have been my death.”

“Oh.”

There was an unreadable expression on the mare’s face.

“They destroyed the work of my life,” he bitterly added, “and they manipulated me.”

'That's one Oscar for Mr. Albert Wesker.'

'Shut up!'

And suddenly Wesker found himself in Twilight's warm embrace. A wicked grin spread on Wesker's face. He had finally won the alicorn over!





Going through the city was awkward to say at least. Twilight was a very famous mare. Several times she had saved Equestria. She was a princess after all. So it was no wonder masses of ponies flooded her way when she entered the city's restless streets. Naturally also her strange companion didn't go unnoticed. But even here he felt the vague sensation of being spied on, as if the silent observers from Ponyville had followed him.

Half an hour passed and still more ponies were crowding around the newly coronated princess.
The cacophony of voices was disrupted by an especially overzealous paparazzo, a yellow pegasus stallion with a fedora, waving a hoof in front of Wesker’s face, “What is that new pet of yours?”

Wesker grunted in frustration, while Twilight explained for the fourth or fifth time that the human was not her pet, nor her lover, a science experiment, or a shaved diamond dog.

Then someone grabbed his ass.

“Hey, baby,” a sultry, masculine voice whispered.

Wesker turned around, his expression hardening.

“I like them, when they are furious,” a blonde unicorn told one of his companions, just loud enough for the human to hear. Then he winked in the scientist's direction. He and his friends stood all alone, the rest of the crowd forming a huge clearing around them.

“And what an exotic specimen that is,” the Unicorn added, his horn beginning to glow. Then a magical force wiggled the humans breasts.

Wesker felt violated - and wrong, very wrong.

This was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back. He had been defeated and sent to a world that was not his own, a world where he was an alien, an oddity, a freak. The law's of physics and nature were twisted ridiculously - sun and moon were raised by winged unicorns for goodness sake! They were rather guidelines than 'real' rules... The former chairman's view on reality had been challenged. Science was only considered an alternative. And then the only thing was taken from Wesker that was left, his body. This voice... It had been a hard week.

The human snapped.

Enough of this foolishness! Who was this pathetic snob to humiliate the scientist?

He slapped the white-furred unicorn, with just enough force to leave a red hand print. He could barely restrain himself from doing worse.
Behind him, the human could hear Twilight. Except the typical clicks of cameras taking photos everything was silent.

“You’ll pay for that, commoner. You'll never forget the day you assaulted me, Prince Blueblood,” the unicorn suddenly screamed, entering a fighting stance, "You foal can't even comprehend, who you made your enemy! I'm the nie-"

But before things could escalate even further the alicorn and the human were gone with a plop, the usual nausea of teleportation washing over Wesker. The rest of the wait until the audience with the sun princess was spent on the castle grounds, where he made a very interesting acquaintance.







Personal Diaries of Princess Luna (Volume CCCXI), excerpt from the 18 of June 2014 A.C. :

[...]

When I first saw our guest, standing idly at the balustrade of a small balcony connected to a main corridor, watching the humble streets beneath him, I must admit, I was disappointed.

That was supposed the hero of Ponyville? This was the mighty warrior, who slayed three Everfree monsters with its bare hooves? An exiled immortal? The betrayed savior of his own world? The alien?

Ridiculous.

This bipedal was barely taller than me. He looked rather weak, fragile compared to a manticore. His silhouette was curvy, like a mare's. The skin, or what was not covered by tight clothing, was fleshy and scaleless. It's fore hooves were clawless and pointy.

This was definitely not how a warrior was supposed to look. It was no 'unpleasant' view, but a being of beauty. However I seriously doubted it was male as my sister's former student, Twilight Sparkle, had described in her comprehensive report.

“Good afternoon, sweetheart,” a voice greeted me. Confusedly I looked back to the strange being. He adjusted his shades and turned around, his gaze locking with mine.

"Where I come from it is considered rude to stare."

The statement caught me aback and I blushed furiously. This pony was either very bold or rude. Or both. The nerve...

Even directly after my banishment, no pony had talked to me like that. There had been whispers and rumors... But nopony had the courage to tell me what they thought. I remember several occasions where I entered a room in the castle and instantly the conversations died down, only followed by awkward hoof shuffling.

Intimidated.

And those eyes... Even despite his sunglasses I could see this cat-like slits glow beneath the shiny surface. A fire just like in the old days, when stallions were still stallions - not whiny, prissy weaklings.

Times had changed. Not for the better.

Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, he stood before me, crossing several meters with one big leap. So dexterous and elegant.
His features, although I could see they were clearly female now, were predatorous. While he spoke I could make out a pair of canines in his mouth. And there was an aura of competence and... danger around him.

At a loss of words I stammered an apology, “I apologize. It was not my intention to intrude.”

“I see... Where are my manners? It's an honor to meet you, Princess,” he bowed slightly.

[...]

I must admit, first looks deceive.







After endless lessons about the castle's history, it seemed this was Twilight's way to cope with the earlier conflict on the streets of Canterlot, finally the time had come. A unicorn clad in the day guard's golden armor accompanied the both of them to the throne room.

> In Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


In Canterlot


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






The whole palace was an accumulation of vanity. Only the most expensive materials were used for the castle’s construction. Paintings and relics of long forgotten times, tapestries, and decorative windows lined the endingless, marble hallways. It was truly a sight to behold, but personally, Wesker preferred the professional, sterile atmosphere of a lab. This was just another waste of resources he had witnessed in the capital city.

His companions and him were on their way to Celestia’s personal study where the first meeting was supposed to be held. However before their guide, a grey-furred unicorn mare named Silver Lining, could bring them to the princess’ rooms, Wesker asked a question,

“Can you lead us to the facilities first, please?”

Understanding his request, Twilight and Lining nodded. They took a turn left at the next cross way, which then lead them to a set of double doors. After a short discussion with Twilight about the signs at the toilet doors and which he was supposed to enter, he hesitantly went through the door with a symbol of a pony wearing a dress. This was really a sick joke and whoever pulled it off would have to pay for it. At least he would stay the next few days in Canterlot so he could take care that the personnel at the local Hospital were not just idly twirling their thumbs (or hooves). Also some ‘convincement’ needed to be done in order to make those scientists quickly forget about his ‘special condition’, so the source of his superhuman abilities still would remain his secret.

His direction did not waver as he approached the last cabinet, his steps echoing from the white walls.

He had been told by Princess Luna that this relative of hers, Prince Blueblood, wasn't exactly the most popular member of the royal family. He was in fact quite the opposite. Still, some precautions were in order. This brat was closely related to the princesses. Luna had assured him this incident wouldn’t be too great of a deal, but still there could be consequences for attacking their nephew. There had been those kinds of 'incidents' with Blueblood before.

This fool would have to suffer for what he did to him, one way or another. The scientist injected himself with a syringe he took out of his pocket. Instantly a slight feeling of tiredness washed over him and his skin began to itch. For a moment he felt as if he was suffocating, clenching his heart. But he recovered quickly, taking long, slow, and deep breaths. Then he flushed the surprisingly human-styled toilet.

The human needed to gain leverage on the rulers of this country, if he wanted to secure his position. Wesker could either achieve this through growing powerful, a potential threat, or through getting a more valuable 'asset'.

The midnight blue alicorn seemed to be a talented schemer herself - the scientist had to watch out for her in the future. Considering her past she could be a powerful ally. The bipedal could try to win her over through her shared interest in the sciences. She also seemed to be interested in Earth and mankind. Especially Wesker’s personal past had aroused her curiosity. He was sure he had seen sympathy in her eyes. The mare in the moon could relate to his situation and the human had been positively surprised by the princess of the night's straightforwardness.

He had memorized the hallways as good as he could in case of a confrontation. He also carried more magic jammer with him, as he could use it to render the princesses and their guards unconscious. That was all he could do now.

He left the cabin and returned to the two waiting ponies.





Finally they entered the princess' private studies through a pair of massive wooden doors ornamented with the sun princess’ mark.
It was a luxurious room, even more than the rest of the castle. It was gigantic, loft-like. Hidden behind a curtain was a bed with silken cushions. Several bookshelves with visibly old tomes stood at the wall left to Wesker and his companion. In the middle of the room was a sofa before a small coffee table.

“Welcome, Mr. Wesker.”

Twilight bowed the instant she heard the voice. Hesitantly, Wesker did too. He didn't want to violate the protocol. Offending a person he hadn't met yet, could prove to dangerous. She was supposed to be a benevolent ruler, a wise and ancient being, but the former chairman of Umbrella had met many politicians. Everyone had a price, and there was a difference between the public image and a genuine personality. Half the work of a politician was done in gloomy back rooms.

‘What became of ‘And even Kings bow to gods’? Are you really so opportunistic? I expected more from you.’

The princess stepped from behind the curtain. She was larger than her sister, being at his eye level. A powerful presence flooded the room, causing Wesker to feel like an ant under a lens burned by collected rays of sunlight. Instantly his magic jammer started to act up. Wesker didn't mind the slightly throbbing feeling in his chest, though. Iron-willed, his face remained an expressionless mask.

“An honor, princess Celestia,” he said extending a hand to the ruler.

A small, regal smile played on the diarch's muzzle. She shook his hand.

“For me, too. I've only heard the best about you from my faithful student,” she nodded in Twilight's direction. “My dear sister told me about your worries regarding the incident earlier this day. I'm well aware what a pain in the flank Prince Blueblood can be... There will be no consequences for you.”

Wesker released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. But he wanted more than that.

“I hope he will receive his punishment?”

“Indeed he has overstepped his bounds. We consider you a guest. It was totally inappropriate to assault you, or anypony for that matter, this way. He will be temporarily stripped of his privileges.”

Wesker wasn't satisfied, but this was better than nothing. Still there was the hunger for revenge. He was a proud being. But for the sake of peace, he would put this to rest.

For now.

Celestia pointed with her right hoof towards the sofa.

“Please take a seat. How are you both doing?”

Wesker and Twilight did as they were told. Celestia followed suit, offering a slice of cake to the human. He politely refused, though.

“I'm fine,” Wesker replied.

“This is just wonderful. It has been so long since the last time we met,” the lavender alicorn answered.

“Indeed, my faithful student. But it seems you fit your role quite well. I've only heard the best things since the beginning of your reign. You've come a long way from the reserved, quiet filly spending whole days in the Royal Library. I'm impressed.”

The princess took a sip from her tea cup, while the grin plastered on Twilight's face grew. It seemed like the presence of her mentor had a very positive effect on her. Wesker showed his usual neutral expression. The scientist concluded they were rather close.

Then Celestia turned to Wesker.

“First of all I want to thank you for saving my little ponies. This could have ended far more violently than it actually did.”

“It was the right thing to do. No need for praise,” Wesker answered untruthfully.

“A noble soul, I must say my sister was right in her judgement. Sadly, I have to cut this short... Soon the day court starts. But I want to inform you that we decided to award you the title "Defender of Harmony" for your heroic deeds. Also I’d like you two to join my sister and me at dinner tonight to discuss the details of your future stay in Equestria… and a possible way home.”





In the distance, Wesker could already see the large building with the Swiss cross emblazoned in the white, chiseled walls. Canterlot Hospital was situated in the middle of a small park. Flowers and plants were arranged in beautiful beds around which ponies of all kinds and shapes strolled over neatly-kept pathways between the colorful oceans. Here and there stood a number of banks where more ponies were resting. It seemed like even in this place designed for the ill and damaged there were no tears shed. Rather it was a place where old and young, visitor and patient met.

Successfully, they had avoided getting more attention from the press, even though they had walked there in plain daylight. Wesker had explained to his purple companion that he'd rather avoid teleporting, since it usually caused him extreme nausea. In truth, he couldn't risk her finding out that still some magic jammer coursed in his veins. But now, half an hour later, he could finally feel its effect fading.

The human suspected the princesses had something to do with the fact that there hadn’t been more ‘disruptions’. The powerful rulers of Equestria seemed to have the authority of absolutistic rulers, modern Louis the XIVs. Despite this fact, he had yet to see them openly abuse their power. With such an age like theirs came experience. And could there be a more constant and stable rule than by beings one could by any means call gods?

He briefly wondered what relation the other countries of this world had to the Royal sisters. If what they claimed was true, they had the power to raise the sun and moon. Their good will determined the future of the whole planet. Luna and Celestia were Equis’ Hegemons.

Still he didn’t trust this peaceful 'Utopia'. From what princess Twilight had told him, the level of technology pretty much stagnated. Advancement was met with suspicion. There were definitely downsides to the diarchs' rule, too.

Wesker considered Chaos and Order opposites. And if anything the princesses represented order. Chaos, or the being called Discord, had been locked away for over a thousand years and only recently he had been released - and tamed.

Truly chaos was a power of change and evolution while order was conservation. Innovation had only been brought to Equestria by the futile attempts of some half apes threatening the so-called 'Harmony', forcing the country to adapt. ‘Natural’ Harmony as found in the Everfree Forrest, the rule of the strongest had long been abolished, making these ponies weak and pathetic creatures.

“Defender of Harmony… That’s really a huge honor, Mr. Wesker. Only a hoofful of ponies received this award and normally those were soldiers, risking their own lives heroically for the well being of their comrades. But it's not unheard of that also civilians receive this title. Actually, since there hasn’t been a war with Equestria for the last 400 years it is relatively common. From what you’ve told me I assume Luna had her hooves in this.”

“Indeed. So why exactly are we on our way to the Hospital?”

Wesker had a suspicion.

“Oh, well… There had been a breakthrough. It seems like they finally found a cure. Only a few last tests have to be conducted,” said a bit too casually for Wesker’s taste.

‘The readers have been nagging. That’s why...’

Wesker ignored the voice, deeply lost in his own thoughts.

‘It's possible they found out about my special ‘condition’... This would make things infinitely more difficult. If you know how and why something works the way it does, it gives you power over that certain thing.’







When they entered the hospital, Wesker was positively surprised. The clean white walls, the ponies wearing lab suits, even the reception reminded him of his glorious past as an Umbrella researcher.

“Good afternoon, nurse. We have an appointment. I’m Twilight Sparkle and this is Albert Wesker.”

The pink pegasus mare, who was sitting behind the counter, checked something in her documents, a small smile creeping on her face. On her name tag stood in elegant letters: Swift Service. Bowing slightly to the somehow flustered lavender alicorn, the mare replied,

“I see. So royalty visits our humble hospital. I must admit I'm a personal fan of yours, Princess. Without you, Equestria would've had laid in ashes several times...”

She blushed, obviously remembering that this was no place to fangirl, but rather serious business being conducted,

“Sorry, I don’t know where that came from. Dr. Clean Cut is waiting for you in room 113.” she pointed upstairs and explained the route. Than she added, “If you don’t know how to get there or in the case you get lost just ask the staff for the directions or find one of the several maps scattered around the whole building.”





They reached their destination in no time. Now Wesker and his companion stood at the end of a rather dark corridor before a mahogany door. Twilight knocked at the said door and a grim voice answered in an unfriendly manner, causing the lavender mare to flinch,

“Come in!”

Human and pony entered. The room was smaller than Wesker first assumed, making it rather a large closet. The only window was covered by black cloth and artificial light shone from a strange contraption on a small table to the right. Several blackboards hung on the limited space of the walls, covered with hardly readable hoofwriting.

In general, the gloomy room seemed to be in a sort of perpetually chaotic mess. Documents and instruments were scattered everywhere. Huge piles of paper were staked on the floor.

In the middle of all this stood a charcoal-furred unicorn stallion, wearing a pair of round, stylish reading glasses. His cutie mark was a double helix of DNA.

Without even looking into the direction of his two visitors, continuing to read in a folder, he said,

“Oh hello. I assume you are Princess Twilight Sparkle and her project. I feel honored to meet you.”

It was an obvious lie. He didn't care at all and his tone gave that away very clearly.

Her project? Didn't they tell him Wesker was sentient? Or was this petty creature insulting him?

“I'd rather like not to be called anyone's project,” he said aggressively, before the stunned alicorn to his left could reply.

“Oh, I see,” the Unicorn replied completely neutral, not a bit of regret or fear in his voice.

Blue orbs, Cut's eyes, studied the human now closely.

“Let's talk about your illness, Mr. ... We are here for business, aren't we? It isn't like my work is already hard enough with this low funding and this overly strict regulations.”

He turned to Twilight,

“Since he is an intelligent being your presence isn't required. He has the right as my patient to make use of professional discretion.”

The human nodded, and with an unreadable expression, a huffing Twilight left the room.





“Only a few more tests need to be conducted to make sure the cure isn't harmful to your metabolism. But I assume Miss Sparkle already informed you about this... You won’t understand anything, so just let me do my job. Follow my orders and you'll be fine,” the stallion continued rudely, arrogance thick in his voice. He seemed to be very sure of himself, even going so far as to rival Wesker’s self-confidence.

Ignoring the doctors pointless talk the human inquired, “May I please see my record? I prefer to decide for myself if I deem your methods to be adequate.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“I insist,” Wesker said dangerously, the undertone in his voice making the very air thick with intensity.

“You're a stubborn one. At least you don't call me an amoral flank hole like most individuals I meet just because I practice biothaumaticism. I should be a hero after all I’ve done. With my help, feather flu, a disease that would have killed thousands, was cured. But did I get any credit? Did I get any distinguished honors? No! Instead, the princesses cut my budget. These ponies are insufferable...” he rambled, laughing nervously. Then the charcoal-furred pony sighed.

“I see,” the human said neutrally.

However, it seemed like the black stallion interpreted Wesker's indifference as disapproval. “You disagree? And here I’d thought I’d found a like minded individual. You’re the same as the rest of them... Here is your record.”

“Keep the whining to yourself. Actually, I find this subject rather fascinating. It seems like there is great potential in this discipline.”

“Oh, really?” he answered, a spark of hope evident in his voice.

“I'm a scientist myself. Whatever anyone says, the ends do justify the means. I've met enough self-righteous fools... Those imbeciles and their belief that they could stop progress. I have only ever found them hilarious, sickening, and sad.”

The stallion handed him the document.

“That is a very brave thing to say here in Equestria…” Dr. Cut muttered, half to himself and half to his patient.





From what Wesker could tell from his record, the reason for his unusually strong reaction to Poison Joke was what he had expected. Indeed, his enhanced immune system had failed to fight the infection, but the resulting struggle had caused fever and other symptoms. Then, the Poison Joke had hijacked his system and began to reproduce, maintaining its level of concentration in the human's blood.  Judging on the relatively low technological levels in Equestria, some conclusions the fellow scientist had drawn were quite brilliant to say the least. He had even figured out the connection between Wesker and his virus, calling it “a symbiotic relationship” in his documents.

His colleague’s revelations might or might not be a problem. This scientist obviously wasn't developing for the military. The doctor was just another small fish, obviously discontent with the way the dice had rolled for him, giving him unappreciated genius in a world that could not adequately meet the demands of his intellect. It was a notion the calculating man could exploit for his own goals. Wesker could use an ally in this unstable trial he was facing, especially since their fields of experience were quite complementary.

The human had to buy time with his little question and answer game. If the doctor immediately started his treatment, he couldn't tell if the manticore poison in his veins was completely gone. That could hinder their progress and cause some unwanted attention.

“You said you were a scientist?” the stallion interjected, interrupting Wesker’s thoughts.

“Dr. of Bioengineering,” Wesker answered absent-mindedly.

“Where did you learn that?”

Glaring, he turned to the stallion, “Let’s just say I’m from somewhere far, far away. Somewhere even your princesses can’t reach.”

Dr. Cut nodded, realizing the human didn't want to talk. Keeping his eyes to his work, occasionally darting them up to gauge the human’s passiveness in search of some physical change in his expression. He found none forthcoming... yet.





Half an hour later:

“How do you want to treat the illness? There's no description of effective treatments in these papers.”

The doctor looked up, himself now buried under a stack of documents. He wordlessly pointed a hoof at one of the blackboards near the walls.

Wesker stood and cleared the distance between his seat and the door to study the board.

To make it short, the colleague wanted to adjust his virus by giving it the ability to fight off the infection in combination of some kind of cleansing spell, increasing its resistance against the poison joke. Generally, manipulating his virus would become a lot harder, as the treatment would add some kind of self-checkup to its 'routines'. The idea was not revolutionary, but the former chairman of Umbrella liked it, as it would involve very few modification to the fragile balance that was his metabolism. The way the pony wanted to achieve this was clever and the man couldn't find a flaw in his theory. However, Wesker had to admit that his knowledge on the magical part of the procedure was still very limited. 

Complimentary with the spell, the diagram said the metamorphosis should be done in a time span of around 15 minutes. No traces of magic should be left in his system, since it wasn't needed to maintain the extended abilities of his virus. He had learned painfully in the past that depending on some kind of constant supply of serum wasn't exactly the best thing. The doctor's methods, which he would eventually tell Wesker were his own discovery, was what Wesker needed to really continue his work as a bioengineer in this insane land of magic.

“I see, your research is sound. Let's conduct these tests of yours. I must compliment you for finding all this out. It must've been quite challenging with equipment as limited as yours. Where I come from, technology is hundreds of years more advanced and still most of my colleagues, this human trash, don't get it. When we're done, I might have a proposition for you regarding those little problems of yours.”





No further potential disturbances were detected in Dr. Cut's tests and so they proceeded to the 'main event'.

The procedure was quite simple. The fellow scientist took another sample of Wesker's blood with a syringe and put the little flask in the middle of a stone apparatus resembling a pentagon. Then the enchanting began. The doctor's blue magic engulfed the whole 'machine' and tiny bubbles started to form in the crimson liquid, which itself began to glow dimly. It looked as if the blood was literally boiling.

The light intensified and runes at the side of the pentagram began to glow as well. Little 'strings' of red magic began to cross the blue from each side of the pentagon.

Then it was suddenly over, and the light disappeared, leaving the room in nearly complete darkness. Only the probe still glowed slightly, but even that light was fading quickly.

Cautiously the pony doctor extracted the syringes from the apparatuses. Wesker noticed he didn't use his magic to perform the task, but his bare hooves. The stallion brought it over to where the human was resting on a chair. Their gazes met and Wesker nodded wordlessly, extending arms so the doctor could do his work. When he finally injected the cure, the human felt relief. Then the unicorn’s spell sent him into a dreamless sleep. But before he heard a faint, distant whisper,

'For now I have to say goodbye. But I promise you we'll meet again before the conclusion of this drama.'

It sounded like a threat.





When he came back to consciousness, Wesker felt surprisingly fine, unlike the day he awoke in Ponyville Hospital. He knew the doctor's magic had supported his body through the transformation, but he had theorized that there still would be side effects or at least pain. He pulled a strand of hair from his head. To the man's relief it was blonde.

He stood silently, and scanned the room, noticing his now fully restored body height. His clothes didn't fit anymore, being uncomfortably strained. He grabbed into his left pocket and extracted his sunglasses, putting them back on their rightful place. His colleague rested on a little sofa. His back turned to the human and therefore oblivious to his awake, he was again reading through a stack of documents.

It would be so easy to kill him. Three quick steps forward and a punch to the neck, and he'd be dead. But that would have severe consequences. Also, this individual was a valuable asset, even though his knowledge possessed a threat. The blond cleared his throat and spoke up, his voice again a deep and husky with manliness, “So what do you think about working with me?”

Wesker was always one to seize the opportunity.

> Foundations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Foundations


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






The doctor had been hesitant at first, unsure about this strange individual he barely knew. Honestly, the human's offer had been a surprise to him after all these years of fruitless labour at the hospital. But his colleague seemed to be genuine. This could be exactly what he had waited and hoped for. Also, the man had told him casually that he would get indirectly funded by the princesses, since he and his equipment were paid by the crown, if he accepted to work with him. Mr. Wesker, who happened to be in favor of the three royal alicorns, said he could redirect the cash flow into their common projects - A little revenge for Clean Cut's mistreatment. That  was a big plus.

The doctor of bioengineering had clearly expressed he wasn't beyond taking extreme measures to ensure his operations were a success and his alien knowledge could prove to be useful. From the short encounter he could tell this person was competent and confident, a winning team of character traits. In the red, glowing slits, that were his eyes, he could see endless ambition.

On the other hoof, the man and his cold, calculating demeanor sent a shiver down his spine, causing him to involuntarily shake from time to time. This predatory grin, the expressionless stone face, he didn't know what to make of him. But Clean Cut had learned that in order to achieve something as great as he was imagining, one had to make compromises and even sacrifices. Still, despite his analytical mind and rational reasoning, he was surprised that he had agreed without so much as a second thought.

The stallion was fascinated, but he didn't know exactly what the human required his assistance for. “Hundreds of years more advanced." The words echoed through his head. The man was an enigma, a riddle he was determined to solve. Dr. Cut was supposed to meet Wesker later again, so they could talk about the details of the man's plan.





When Wesker and a furious Twilight returned to the castle, night had already fallen, and the moon’s pale, glowing face was on the rise. The streets were surprisingly empty, but lanterns and illuminated windows emitted an almost eerie light. The appointment with the princesses was near, so the both of them were in a hurry. Quickly, the castle came into view, and without any trouble, since the guards at the doors instantly recognized their princess, they entered the ancient halls.

But before he went to the meeting, he had a castle servant point him to his rather luxurious quarters. He took a shower and changed his clothes. The only fitting set left was his lab suit because the rest of his clothing had been either shredded to pieces in the adventurous weeks in Ponyville or was designed to be worn by a woman. Hesitantly, he decided it was better than nothing and left for the dining room where already royalty awaited him.

The dinner had been a feast. Plate after plate of delicious, vegetarian eye-candy was served, and he enjoyed it thoroughly. He missed the luxury of consuming meat but he could easily live without it if only for the sake of convenience. He told himself, "When in Rome do as the Romans do."

The two princesses had been surprised at first about his sudden physical change, but after a short explanation by Twilight they had been very understanding. It had definitely helped his image that, for their ponies' safety, he had endured the torture of being in the wrong body.

Now another servant, a white earth pony stallion with a very prominent mustache, brought the dessert, a fruit salad. The round table they were sitting at was rather small - at least smaller than the human had expected, judging by the enormous, borderline ridiculous opulence and vanity of the Castle. Now was the time for business. Enough pleasantries had been exchanged. If he waited any longer, he'd pass the possibility to talk to the princesses directly about his plans for the future.

To his right sat Princess Luna, who seemed to have found interest in his restored physical appearance. Her eyes were nearly always resting on him, when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. A few times while dinner their gazes met, and she lowered her gaze and blushed. The scientist had no clue what this was about, nor did he care.

To his left was Twilight. At the beginning of this charade, Wesker had quietly apologized to her for making her wait outside the laboratory, but he explained it was necessary, and it didn't mean he didn't trust her or that they weren't friends. Of course Wesker wasn't her friend, but telling someone that usually didn't result in an increased chance of cooperation, so he decided to lie, leaving her with every impression that they were in fact as close as two people who’d only recently met could be.

Opposite to the human sat the princess of the sun. She was wearing her usual regalia. From the subtle motions, the irregular sighing and her twitching, nervous eyes, he could tell she was mildly stressed. The day had obviously taken its toll on her, and her mask of polite benevolence was crumbling. She was basically still running the kingdom alone, even three years after the joyous return of her sister. Therefore, winning and keeping her support would be his top priority.

Wesker spoke up,

“I assume dear Twilight has informed you about my profession?”

“Indeed, Mr. Wesker,” answered Princess Celestia.

“Since I arrived here, a certain friend of ours,” he looked at the lavender alicorn,” offered me work as a scientist for the crown. I had a dream: a dream to study the flora and fauna of the Everfree Forest and apply the knowledge of my world to improve the lives of you ponies.”

The three princesses nodded sympathetically.

“So I'd like to ask for a favor. In order to achieve this dream of mine, I require funds, a laboratory, and an assistant. That doesn't mean however that I don't value our cooperation, Twilight. It's just that you have other duties to attend to as a princess, and I can't monopolize your time. Also, this assistant of mine that I wish to hire would learn about my profession and would therefore be able to spread the knowledge. In exchange, I'd also hold lectures at your universities if you deem that necessary or useful.”

“That seems like a very well thought plan,” Celestia replied hesitantly, exchanging a look with the princess of the night, “but there's another matter we have to solve before we can agree to that. As I have told you this afternoon, there's the issue with your return to your home world. Your proposition would be rather a long term investment, and if you plan to return to your planet soon, assuming that you get the chance, it would be in vain. Of course we'd still look into ways to bring you back, but you'd have to agree to wait at least an appropriate time. How does two years sound to you?”

“I'm not that eager to return. As you might have assumed after hearing my tale, I made many enemies back home. I'd rather wait until grass has grown over it, anyway.”

“There are also certain moral rules, Mr. Wesker, that are under no circumstances allowed to be violated,” she added with slight harshness. “I don't know how things were where you came from, but there will be no experimenting with living creatures. Before any clinical studies are conducted you have to ask for our approval.”

Wesker gritted his teeth. He had expected that kind of nonsense.

“I accept these requirements,” the human replied, his tone not giving away his anger.

“I don't see a problem then. Do you, Luna?” the sun diarch asked her younger sister.

Receiving an amused gaze from Celestia a startled Luna replied, obviously deep in thought, “Neigh, Tia. I think this is a wonderful possibility.”

Twilight also seemed to accept Wesker's request, judging on the smile that crept on her face. She could understand why a fellow scientist strove to increase his knowledge. The lavender alicorn had learned that supporting a friend was more important than her own egoistic desires.

“Now that this is settled,” Celestia said,”I will retire for the night.”





Two weeks later Wesker stood on a small hill at the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, looking down at a construction site. Several worker ponies were putting the finishing touches on a medium-sized white, cubical building.

His eyes scanned over an official document he was holding:



[...]
Founding of Parasol Pharmaceuticals approved
[...]



Everything went according to the plan.
> Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Investigation


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






The last two weeks had been rather hectic. He had to micromanage these fools in order to ensure his plans would be followed to the letter. Every stereotype he knew about lazy craftsmen held twice as much truth for ponies. A good amount of intimidation had been necessary to keep them on time. Everything that could go wrong eventually did in the process of building the laboratory. Murphy's ugly visage had shown itself far too often and these ponies were his harbingers.

A window on a wall completely inside the building? Check. Stairs leading nowhere? Check. It was almost comedic. He had been so close to ripping off all the company owner's obscenely fat extremities for their slip ups. Unfortunately, it was still Princess Twilight's orders that he had to operate under since the laboratory was in the city limits of Ponyville, so he was perturbed with having to vent his frustration with cold silences and a bitten tongue. Gritting his teeth, he therefore continued to work with the insufferable cretins.

Winning doctor Clean Cut over in his final talk was no problem at all. He was more than eager to help the man with his scientific endavors. He had assisted in the planning of the building to fit his needs as a biothaumathican. Some things didn't make sense to Albert, but this wasn't his profession, and it wasn't his right to question his demands. He commissioned a background check on the silent stallion. Cut had received his doctor's degree "summa cum laude". He had no family. No previous criminal record. Nothing. He was a blank page. All he had in his life was his job. It was almost as if his record had been cleaned. Finding that rather suspicious, Wesker dug deeper.

What little information he’d gleaned had been hard fought, but his connections with the princesses, especially Princess Luna, had been surprisingly helpful, he found out the reason for the classification. Five years prior, Clean Cut had been working in a top team at Canterlot University, researching genetically modified crops and vegetables. 

They were rather successful, reaching output increases of over 40 percent. After a few months they started testing outside the laboratory in order to discern the resistance of the plants to normal environment influences, although some team members expressed their worries.

The plants were heavily magical with pestilence repulsion, increased growth rates, and similar attributes that even kept the harvested fruit longer fresh. Those opposing the early introduction argued that the results were unpredictable at best and dangerous at worst. Further clinical testing was required, but Clean Cut, the head of the research group at that time, ignored their objections and ordered to carry out his plan anyway. A small community in the west had started planting those crops and there were no severe biological repercussions. The critics fell silent in light of full bellies and safer food.

But then something happened no one had foreseen and everything went to hell. A species of locusts hit the town late in the Fall and devoured the plants. No one ever found out how it could have happened, but they mutated their metabolism increasing it to incredibly unstable levels. They became what today are known as parasprites. They cost hundreds of ponies their livelihood every year, even hitting Ponyville two years ago. Since then, enormous sums had to be spent to fight the damages.

Cut was blamed for the birth of the pestilence and his promising career was brought to an abrupt close. The whole operation was covered up to avoid damaging Celestia's image. Indeed, the matriarch could not be associated with a beast such as Cut. What Wesker had offered the stallion was practically the only chance he would ever get again to escape the meaningless mediocrity of his ridiculous existence. And he very likely knew it. That was all the leverage Albert needed on the doctor. It was better to be feared than to rely on the love of one's employees after all.





One evening, when the laboratory was close to being finished, Wesker made his way to the construction site. Since he had to run errands the whole day in order to acquire the necessary equipment for the lab, he didn't have the chance to inspect the day's progress yet. Wesker even paid a short visit to Canterlot where he met with the Princess of the Night. Luna had demanded his presence suspiciously often since his first visit to Equestria's capital for quite dubious reasons. And their talks grew increasingly more awkward because Albert felt like she desperately wanted to tell him something he didn't quite understand. With every visit he could see her frustration increasing. But being disrespectful was the last thing he'd be now that he was practically the crown's employee. So he endured it stoically like he always did when it wasn't in his power to change something. She was a pleasant person to be around, so he didn’t so much mind giving her the time of day.

The man hoped for his dwindling sanity that the construction company didn't fail him again. What had been planned for today was relatively easy to accomplish though. Roughcasting the walls wasn't exactly the most difficult task for an experienced craftspony. So he wasn't too pessimistic it wouldn’t be done by the time he arrived.

Still, he felt watched from time to time, but it didn't bother him anymore. Obviously it was just a figment of his imagination. He assumed that even he wasn't unaffected by all the craziness that surrounded him for the last few weeks. The rather unusual situation had taken its toll on the man. He’d looked for further evidence to validate the nagging feeling that he was being observed, but his searches turned up nothing. Still, he was wary, but for now he was writing it off as inconsequential.

The scientist was positively surprised and, at the same time, concerned when he still heard the sounds of construction from the future site of Parasol Pharmaceuticals. What went wrong to make the normally lazy construction ponies work so eagerly?

Quickly, he entered the unsuspicious building with the big emblazoned 'P' in an Umrella-esque blue and white octagon, the logo of his company. And indeed, the dozen ponies, mostly stallions, were still working. The quota for the day had already been accomplished from what he could see, so he wondered why they didn't call it a day.

When he cleared his throat to attract their attention, all ponies turned around simultaneously in a zombie-like fashion. All their eyes, but one green pair, were the same blue as the ones that followed him around in Ponyville for the last few weeks. The door slammed shut behind him and a cackling laugh echoed through the building.
> Rage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Rage


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






The room was lit by a shimmering green flame, blinding the man's sensitive eyes. Reflexively, his right hand dove into the depths of his pocket and grabbed the syringe full of slightly copper-colored fluid he always kept near since he’d developed it. His left he used to shade his eyes from the violent, ominous light. Wesker had no clue what was going on, but there was no time for senseless pondering. The situation was dangerous. That much he knew for certain. His brain switched to survival mode, and he entered a fighting stance.

His eyesight gradually returned. Before him stood a dozen interesting creatures. Their forms resembled a normal pony's, but they had an insect-like appearance. They were plated with dark, holed chitin and featured both horns and wasp-like wings.

'Changelings!' the man realized.

Albert had read about the bugs when he looked into Equestria's history, still trying to make sense of these lands. Once a great race of emotion sucking vampires with an enormous population, prone to violence and deceit, their downfall had come suddenly. A coalition of ponies, zebras, griffons and minotaurs had ended their bloody crusades and pushed them beyond their respective borders into the wastelands. For hundreds of years it had been relatively silent about the insectoid quadrupeds. Only whispering tales had been told, making them sound like some kind of boogie men parents used to scare their foals if they didn't want to go to bed. They became mythological creatures.

But just one year prior under the rule of Queen Chrysalis, they returned, trying and failing to conquer Canterlot to restore their once glorious empire. Little was known about their inner organization or their physical abilities. Some argued they formed herds just like ponies, others assumed they were under the control of some kind of hive mind and only very few were truly sentient.

Judging by the battered appearance of his pursuers they might be the last remaining changelings after the disaster that was Canterlot. The scientist assumed the only green-eyed individual might be the Queen herself. The physical differences were obvious. She was much taller than the rest of the changelings. She had neon green hair and on her head rested a crown-like object. Although she tried to hide it, Wesker could tell there was deep desperation in her eyes. The former captain of the stars had a sixth sense for someone's weaknesses, just like a wolf for his prey. Chrysalis looked malnourished.

“Creature,” she exclaimed loudly, her horn ablaze with green magic, “Resistance is futile. Surrender now and no harm will come to you!”

The man silently fell to his knees, while with some clever sleight of hand he slipped the syringe out of his pockets and hid it behind his back. He bowed his head slightly, lowering his gaze to the floor, a submissive look on his face. Respectfully, he began to speak, struggling not to reveal his true intentions by breaking into his cold, emotionless laughter,

“Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings. How could I, a mere human, challenge your power?"

In his peripheral vision he could watch Chrysalis laughing maniacally. She didn't know what she signed up for. There were more toys to play with in his pocket than the single syringe. The scientist felt for his veins.

“I only feel deep respect for you, for you were brave enough to challenge the sun tyrant,” he continued.

The man injected the syringe in the vein of his left hand. Instantly the familiar feeling of weakness washed over him. Only a few more moments before he could end this charade.

He realized how he missed his pistol, seeing a victorious grin spreading on the bug's face. One shot and it would vanish from her stupid face – forever. What a waste of space she was. Such foolishness deserved punishment. At the next possible convenience, he would ask the local blacksmith to deliver the necessary parts for the weapon. He was more than familiar with the inner workings of such a device. His knowledge wasn't limited to biology after all.

She probably believed she could simply fight him with magic. Her careless behavior suggested she didn't know he could defend himself against her petty assaults utilizing his magic jammer. She was even so bold to step nearer to the crouched form of the super human.

“I feel flattered. Allow me this little measure of precaution,” she said, her voice a cacophony of chirps and hisses.

Two changelings with shackles in their fanged maws, neared Wesker from the right. Did they really think he would let them restrain him? Patiently the man waited until they were in his reach.

CRACK! He ripped the horn of the first off before anyone could respond and pierced the second's eye with it. To someone else it must have looked like he had teleported, so fast did he move. Both dropped to the floor, rivers of gooey green blood staining it. Left behind was a speechless changeling Queen. That was certainly unexpected. One moment she had believed all her problems to be solved, an overwhelming victory, and then her dreams were so violently crushed by the person who was supposed to save the remains of her weakened race. But her mind caught up with the ghoulish act before her and her horn was set aflame with green, dancing magic, fueled by mind-numbing anger.

The man, straightening back to his full height, spoke up slowly, his voice carrying a tone of danger and impending doom, “Do you even know who you are dealing with? I will crush you under my boot, disgusting, hideous bug. Probably even a fool like you can fathom the graveness of your mistake. Playtime is over. I will enjoy killing you. And before the end, you will relish death over your suffering, pitiful life.”

As if on a silent signal, all the remaining changelings, a half dozen or so, swarmed the man. Preoccupied with fending them off, he didn't realize a bolt of green magic was heading into his direction. It hit him square in the chest, and he fell over. However he didn't stay down for long. The shot that could have killed a medium-sized dragon easily could only blacken the white lab coat he was wearing. The flesh under the fabric remained untouched. The queen's victorious grin changed to a look of horror once more and another changelings went down as Wesker broke its neck with a powerful kick.

“I don't know where you get your confidence Chrisss.... alis,” he exclaimed, cobra-striking a fourth changeling, who had dared to sneak near from behind. More blood stained the walls. It would be a pain in the rear to clean that off, later, the blond man realized, his hair whipping in the flurry of the fight.

Fear gripped the queen's heart. They had no chance, and if she didn't want her race to end, she had to escape. Chrysalis tried to fly to the closed door, but she was already too late.

Wesker’s hands closed around the fragile throat of the Changeling Queen, pinning her at a wall. Even though her loyal changelings tried to free her with all their might, the bipedal being before her didn't even flinch. Wesker just swatted them away with his left hand like annoying flies swirling around a meal. Bloodlust flooded the man's mind, but he needed to restrain himself. Killing the queen could have severe consequences.

He remembered one of his favorite quotes from Clausewitz's "On War":



“Strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a ship’s compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea.”



Capturing was much more beneficial. He could either deliver one of the worst enemies of Equestria or the scientist could reinitiate an old project again. “Good old, Jill,” he chuckled. The man would definitely try the later. A second syringe pierced the Queen's black chitin and his grip lost some strength.

“Sleep, sweetheart,” he whispered hatefully into her right ear, while the last of her children perished from the face of the planet by the violent hands of the blond.

Now she finally had lost everything.
> A New 'Ally'
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A New 'Ally'


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Sudden, blinding light violently disturbed the deep, dreamless slumber of Queen Chrysalis. She felt strangely numb. The room was dark, so the only thing she could see was a vague form of a head resting above her and, within the shadow, a pair of red-glowing, slitted orbs peered down at her from behind the dark shades of the monstrous man. Those eyes brought back the memories of the last few hours. She shuddered involuntarily, feeling the slow and steady breath of the man on her carapace. The Queen noticed she was strapped to a flat, cold surface that reflected the artificial light, likely metal, and gagged with a towel.

Uncontrollable fear gripped her heart. She tried to mentally reach out to her children, hoping that at least a few had survived, but unfortunately, her magic failed her. The usual warm embrace of the hive mind could not grace her, leaving her most important sense blind, lost in a painful void of personal loss. It was like a blockade prevented the Queen from redirecting the familiar power its usual way through her horn. Chrysalis felt lost, alone and violated. What did this cruel human do to her? What did he do to her children?

“Good morning. Did you sleep well, sunshine?” he mockingly asked, now aware she was awake, “Oh, I forgot. You aren’t really in a postition to talk now, are you? I apologize for my rude behavior. Here, let me get that for you,” he removed the cloth from her muzzle. “Using your magic is useless. The effect of the jammer will at least last for a few more hours at this rate of recovery.”

Wesker chuckled grimly, his gloved hands playing with her green hair. Then he inquired,

“What was the point of this little incident? Couldn’t you have just… asked for my help. Now I will have to make sure you will regret this, my lady. That I can promise. Your lack of creativity disappoints me. I expected more from you, the great Queen of the changelings, the one who almost managed to conquer Equestria. But this only proves how foolish the ponies are to fall for such a pathetic individual like you. Now you are at my mercy. Your fate lies in my hands, so to say,” he said flexing his appendages.

Silent tears rained down the sides of her cheeks. The ugly monkey was responsible for her misery. In her head, Wesker died a hundred cruel deaths right then. Her mind could not break the barrier of reality however. Helplessly, she’d have to suffer through his treatment. But he wouldn’t break her, she promised herself. She was still Chrysalis, the powerful and fiery Queen of the changelings.

“What did you do to my children?” the Queen demanded weakly, hardly able to put any aggression into her words.

“Well, let’s just say they were less than cooperative. Unfortunately for you, they are all dead,” he stated with coldness, not an inkling of regret in his voice. This bastard had enjoyed killing her children, the last of their kind. This didn’t mean her race was dead, though, she reminded herself, trying to push her grief aside. Only a changeling Queen was necessary to reproduce.

“You are a monster!” she screamed, but his face remained emotionless.

A shiny object entered her view. A scalpel neared her chest and a devilish smile spread on the man’s face, a facade straight from Tartarus.

“That is quite impolite to say, my dear Chrysalis.”

The first cut wasn't as painful as she had anticipated. The numbness of the magic jammer took away the worst of it. Nevertheless, Chrysalis gasped in shock, as the cold metal divided the blank chitin, that covered her torso. His work was an example of professionalism. Only relatively little blood was spilled, since he managed to avoid piercing any major veins despite his limited knowledge of changeling anatomy.

All he knew about the physiology of this race was what he had learned by studying the dead specimens' bodies. These little buggers had been full of surprises so far, and he was sure he could use the research on this subject to develop useful tools. Especially their green, gooey blood fascinated the man since it carried an enormous amount of magic. There was a quiet possibility that it was the key to understand how this magic worked on a biological level.

After few cuts the queen passed out again. The torrent of pain took away her consciousness. Unfortunately, she didn't stay asleep for the whole procedure. Randomly she would wake up, disoriented and weak, in a world of agony while the man continued to do his cruel work. And even when her generous consciousness spared her the images of getting torn apart alive, nightmares of shattered corpses and her crying children haunted the queen.





It had cost him a whole day to prepare the procedure and conduct the necessary tests to ensure compatibility and effect of P30. The secret room under the laboratory hidden by a trapdoor he commissioned with the money from his loan, unknown to the princesses, had already been finished. This was where he stored the Queen and her cooled, dead subjects.

Fortunately, sleep was only a luxury to the super human. The man decided he’d work at night to arouse as little suspicion as possible. Wesker couldn’t risk a random work pony walking in to him performing the surgery. Waiting even longer could lead to the Queen developing an immunity to the jammer, the IV drop next to the laboratory bench drugged her with.

That it worked at all was a small wonder itself judging by the immensely differing nature of changelings compared to his earlier test subjects. However, the long time effects of such a treatment were unknown. Albert couldn’t rule out they were harmful and he didn’t want to risk that, because he had great plans for the changeling Queen. She was a valuable asset - so much much was clear.

The only question that remained open was if he could manage to acquire the necessary materials in time. His 'friend' at Canterlot Hospital had been very helpful to accomplish this task because he had excellent connections to the other departments of the institution.

The plans for the device he intended to build were still in his head. Once before he had tested it on a living subject. Brain-washing that fool Jill had been amusing to say the least. The once proud and hard-headed woman had been degraded and reduced to a simple pawn. Straight-faced, the woman had attacked her former comrades, even her beloved Chris. It was a complete success.

Only a few slight modifications would be necessary to configure the serum for the new application 'environment'. Chrysalis couldn’t do much but obey the first person she saw after she woke up. Or at least he hoped so… If it didn’t work he had another syringe prepared with a high dose of the jammer to send her back into Morpheus’ embrace. Also, P30 acted as a physical performance enhancer.

There was room for improvement too. Instead of solely relying on an electrical battery, he could in addition use a magic-electric converter, the man ‘borrowed’ from Twilight, so the injector could refill itself by using its new host's capabilities. This adjustment would also make it unnecessary to attach the device to the outside of the host's body to regularly change out the power storage - the weak point of the system, since the drug it would inject into the blood was so potent one could store enough for a few decades in the small device. It would be a lot harder to remove hidden by the changeling’s thick carapace and therefore nearly undetectable. The perfect soldier.

Synthesizing the P30 drug hadn’t been a problem at all; the ingredients were readily available to the general public. He’d picked them up at a local drug store. Only the process of manufacturing it had been quite a task because not all equipment he needed for Parasol’s labs had been delivered yet. But with his resourcefulness, he overcame the troubles.





Finally, he had stitched her up and removed the latex gloves from his fingers, deposing them in a small trash bin beside the lab bench. The surgery had been performed without any major complications, and the subject should recover completely within the next few days, assuming there was no infection. The blond was eager to see the results of his work. He felt a grotesque joy, like a child at Christmas awaiting to open up his presents.

He grabbed a simple glass flask and filled it with water from the sink. Albert drained its contents on the creature before him, careful not to wet the Queen’s wounds.

Chrysalis stirred and her eyelids fluttered. Then she awoke. Her eyes were clouded, there was no emotion evident on her face. Only her silent breath gave away she was still alive.

“Who am I,” he asked quietly, full of expectation but still wary.

A moment passed. Then she answered with a zealot’s conviction, “You are my master.”

> Revenge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Revenge


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






As the blond man had predicted, the queen recovered quickly and without any major complications. She obeyed Wesker’s orders without hesitation, and was generally submissive, a perfect servant indeed. However, Chrysalis was still able to make decisions on her own to achieve the mission goals cleverly. She was not a mindless zombie, but her inherent drive to be herself, the fire of personal identity, was gone. And just as Albert had feared, it seemed like she had lost the ability to shape shift. The former Queen expressed difficulties weaving the transformation spell. If anything she just managed to fabricate some unnatural monstrosities.

Fortunately, Wesker was proven wrong.

After a few days the problems gradually vanished, so Chrysalis was still able to assume any form the scientist ordered her to. But there was one flaw in Wesker’s plans. The scar the surgery had left carried over to any form Chrysalis would take. It wasn’t that visible, though, only a slight deformation, barely noticeable. But to someone who knew what to search for, it was quite obvious. Chrysalis had to be careful no pony noticed, or she would get spotted easily.

When the man informed his assistant, Clean Cut, about the presence of the insectoid quadruped he had expressed his worries, but it didn’t take much to persuade him to shut up. Wesker couldn’t risk an information leak, especially with the grand galloping gala drawing near. It was an excellent business opportunity.

Everypony of distinction would be present at the gala, and Wesker had started to fix up some common and harmless human medications to finance his research. He only needed help with the distribution. Also, he would finally receive the “Defender of Harmony” award with all honors at the celebration. He didn’t need a scandal now.

So one morning, Dr. Cut walked into his office, a lonely parasprite swirling over his desk full of research notes. Wesker soon after joined the researcher, shock evident on the stallion’s face. Then the man exclaimed,

“What do you say, my little friend,” he held his hand mockingly at his ear, just as if he was listening to the parasprite, “Your daddy doesn’t like you? How unfortunate!”

And with a swift motion he crushed the insect between his hands. From then on his assistant cut the bullshit, aware his boss knew about the secret of his troubled past. Chrysalis, under the cover name of "Diamond Wishes" became their unicorn secretary, responsible for the massive amount of paperwork necessary to run the facility. Everything was tightly regulated by the state.

Also, the construction work was finally finished and Wesker and Cut officially began their work, cataloging the nearby flora and fauna of the Everfree Forest. Only the outskirts had been scouted for medical usable plant life, yet. They paid any Ponyvillian who brought them an unknown species a decent sum of bits. And although some tried to fool the scientist and his assistant by bringing commonly known plants, like dandelions and sunflowers, to his office to make some easy money - these ponies were indeed an idiotic bunch - there were quite interesting discoveries, too. Useful to say the least.





Now, one week later it was the time to test the loyalty and capability of his newly acquired servant. His revenge was near. Blueblood, the cretin who had assaulted the man in a quite disturbing fashion, was now the target of his righteous ire. He would have to pay dearly for his mistake. Wesker instructed the Queen to kill the snotty noble.

At a late afternoon in Winter, she flew over the city of Canterlot where her target resided. She had assumed the form of an attractive Pegasus mare, sporting a silvery coat, a blonde mane, and a delivery cutie mark. She began to circle above the snowy rooftops, a few chimneys were smoking, slowly losing altitude. It was cold and the sight was misty, if she wasn’t a changeling, she might have been freezing and would have had difficulties maintaining flight.

Then with a soft clop, her hooves hit the cobblestone pavement of the city. A few ponies, who were strolling along the sidewalk, shot the Queen sour glaces for startling them, but soon their interest for the unusual disturbance wore off, and they went their own ways. By hoof she covered the distance of a few blocks to the near city district of Spring Valley, where the most influential and wealthiest residents of Canterlot lived.

The view that presented itself was very different from the scenery a few blocks down the streets. If Chrysalis hadn’t been under the influence of P30 her usual, pompous self might have enjoyed the luxurious mansions that lined the streets at both sides. Now she just scanned them with indifference, looking out for one certain residence.

When she found what she was looking for, an exceptionally spacious, multiple story villa, featuring a balcony resting on marble pillars, she hastened her steps. The property was surrounded by an ornamented fence. At the gates to a large and well kept garden stood two Royal guards. This presented a problem.

Chrysalis didn’t expect Blueblood Manor to be secured by the Equestrian military. The country in general and especially Canterlot were known for their almost complete absence of violent crime and the few exceptions were usually caused by the minority of foreigners, Griffons and Minotaurs. She could try to sneak in from behind by flying over the barrier, but doubted it would be that easy if guards were positioned at the entrance to keep the property safe. Likely, some kind of spell would notice the security of the unwelcome intruder.

As she passed the two guards, she scanned them casually to find something she could use to get access to the villa. The right guard seemed to be younger, less professional and concentrated compared to his companion. The stallion had bags under his eyes and exhaustedly leaned on his spear - obvious signs of a night in Canterlot's extensive club scene. A plan began to form in her head. The master would be proud.

The Queen chose the younger guard since weak-minded, tired, and stressed individuals were more likely to fall for her deceptive mind magic. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, turning to the two stallions. Chrysalis changed her facial expression to that of astonishment as if she had recognized him and was now surprised to see the stallion there. Then a shy smile spread over her face.

“Aren’t you the stallion I met last week at the bar?” she asked innocently, while she began to weave her spell.

She could see in his eyes that he didn’t remember her, but the former queen of the changelings could also feel a conflicting emotion radiating from the unfortunate soul. Probably, the stallion assumed that he wasn’t able to recognize her due the abuse of alcoholic beverages or was just being forgetful. If it didn’t work as she predicted she could blame it on the striking similarities between the guards. It was indeed an embarrassing situation for the stallion, but he carried it off well.

“Oh, I see,” he replied, an apologetic smirk on his muzzle, “I must have forgotten your name then, beautiful mare.”

She showed a calculated frown, but then only seconds later the changeling sighed and returned the smile.

“Fast Flight,” Chrysalis responded, her wings playfully brushing the stallion's shoulder.

The conversation continued for a bit. It became obvious she was a welcome distraction to the dull routine of the guard. After a few minutes Chrysalis looked down as if she was pondering something. Then Chrysalis leaned up to the guard and purred into his ear, “I couldn’t forget you. You look quite handsome in your armor, and I'm in heat, you know. What do you think about showing me a good time, strong stallion? I only live a few blocks from here.”

Silently, he nodded, the effects of the spell hitting him with full force now. He willingly trotted after Chrysalis, his gaze fixated on her backside.

“I will borrow your friend for a while. There’s an issue he has to take care of. Is that OK?” the former Queen of the changelings asked the guard’s colleague with a wink.

Surprisingly, the second guard didn't complain and even gave his pal the pony’s equivalent to a thumbs up. Little did he suspect he would never lay eyes on his friend again.

Several streets north, in an industrial district, Chrysalis looked around unsuspiciously to spot possible witnesses. Then the mare and the stallion disappeared into a gloomy side alley. From there emerged a few minutes later a single, armor-clad guard. Fortunately the armor covered up the nasty scar on her chest, just underneath the now pristine fur. The young guard had been quite helpful, revealing intel about the guard shifts, the habits of the villa owner, Blueblood, and personal details about himself and his companion, but now she no longer had any use for him. The Queen returned to the estate and held a bit of small talk with the second guard, mostly bragging about sex, before she asked for the key to the house to use the toilet.

Then she entered the villa.





The doors were made of dark, tropical and expensive-looking wood, the floor out of polished marble was covered by a red carpet. The light of a crystal glass chandelier reflected on the shiny surfaces of several statues and the golden frames of colorful paintings. If Canterlot Castle was luxury, this was decadence.

Even though the title of the prince was only ceremonial and the family didn’t hold legislative power in the Equestrian diarchy, their word was well respected under the nobles, and they had accumulated quite a fortune from a large business Empire that reached from the Kingdom of the Griffins over the whole of Equestria to the steppe where the Zebra tribes lived. Blueblood wasn’t the last remaining member of his family. With his father passed away, but his younger siblings still alive, a brother and a sister who lived a carefree life in Trottingham, he was the oldest son and head of the family and therefore the pony to inherit their legacy.

The Bluebloods had been the most important noble family for the past few hundred years now, since their ancestor, Philomeno Blueblood, had bravely led the armies of Equestria to a glorious victory against the changelings in a desperate battle and was awarded the title of a prince for his achievements for the crown. Unfortunately, little was left of the family’s once so noble spirit. Great warriors, diplomats, advisers and merchants had emerged from this line, but with every generation the family became more degenerated and dysfunctional - a royal pain in the rear for the princesses and a burden for the many common ponies they gave a hard time with their snobby attitude.

This didn’t mean that the current head of the house, Blueblood VIII., was defenseless, though. He had attended Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns, since he was a talented magician, not because of his family’s status, served in the army as a high ranking officer when he was younger and even had been considered one of the most promising candidates for the rank of Royal Guard’s Captain, before finally Shining Armor, his former subordinate, was granted the promotion due to his association with Princess Cadance and his better people skills. The blond stallion could definitely defend himself in an open fight. Blueblood was trained in combat and Chrysalis had to take that into consideration when she tried to accomplish her mission.

The lobby was massive. Ornamented steps led up to the second floor, where the personal quarters of master Blueblood were. A closed double leaf door led to the ballroom, the rooms where the employees resided, the laundry, and the kitchen. A butler stood at a counter and eyed the Queen in disguise with typical indifference. The presence of the aged stallion in the tuxedo could mean nasty questions, but the Queen wasn’t worried. One way or another she would achieve her goal. Compared to the attack on Canterlot this was nothing to worry about. If she could fool the princess herself into believing she was her niece, she could face an arrogant noble and his employees.

The murder would cause quite an outrage in the kingdom. But caring about the consequences of her actions meant little without control. She was supposed to obey her master’s orders and would do so with glee. Thinking and acting for herself was such a difficult affair. After she awoke from the treatment her thoughts were as slow as snails. The master knew best what to do.

From what the guard had revealed her she assumed that Blueblood currently was upstairs. He had been with another mare, one that frequently visited the prince. The guard guessed she was probably an admirer ‘with special benefits’, but he had no proof for his claim. The blond prince had told the guards to allow the coffee-colored, unicorn mare access to his property without special invitation, even if he wasn’t at home. That she was his lover was therefore an obvious assumption.

But still some things didn’t add up. Why all of things would the prince allow a groupie unrestricted access to his mansion? And if she was more than that, if this was a stable relationship, who would tolerate such as a person as Blueblood, notoriously lusty and known for his rude demeanor? Judging by the guard’s description she was in her forties and not that attractive, either. Why didn’t she live with him in the first place? Was it some kind of fetish?

Whatever the prince’s relation to the unicorn was, Chrysalis was determined to find out. This mysterious mare was a potential eyewitness of what was about to happen. The master had told her that Chrysalis identity was under no circumstances to be revealed. If she was stunned by blast of magic it would be enough to disperse the frail deception.

Stone-faced and with a hint of boredom and arrogance audible in his voice, the butler interrupted her thoughts,

“How may I help you, Sir? I couldn’t help but notice that you were staring at me.”

“I bring important news. Where can I find Prince Blueblood, it’s rather urgent, Sir,” she said, while saluting.

She assumed that neither Mr. Blueblood nor his butler cared enough about the employees to determine whether the guard was one of their personal employees or just a random officer sent from Canterlot Castle.

“The master is at home, but he told me to be not disturbed under any circumstances. I can deliver a message. Does that sit well with you?”

“It’s urgent. I was instructed only to talk to your master,” she pressed on, “This message comes from the highest circles, the princesses themselves. Please consider making an exception, as Prince Blueblood's very reputation risks being tarnished if the situation is not dealt with swiftly.”

“I'm afraid the masters orders were absolute, he will remain undisturbed. You may see yourself out now, Sir!” he replied arrogantly.

Then the butler scribbled something into a notebook and didn’t pay attention to his visitor anymore, making it clear that the conversation was closed now. Chrysalis snorted furiously and stepped nearer to the lobby desk. Half of it was an act the other half her own temper, her violated pride. Now, under the influence of P30 she would tolerate even less to be messed with, since the drug contained components of anabolic agents and these made her increasingly violent.

“Really? You believe a mere butler reserves the right to make the prince's decisions for him when it regards his political standing no less? You are nothing more than a glorified servant. Do not forget this fool, let me pass and I will not report this delay.” she shouted, putting on an angry expression.

The butler remained completely calm. The older stallion even had the nerve to grin smugly, while the Queen threw a fit.

“Young recruits,” he muttered. Then he added louder, “I will make sure to tell your commander of your misbehavior, mister. What was your name again?”

This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The former Queen of the changelings finally snapped. With a quick punch to the head the laughing butler was knocked out cold. But before his consciousness finally flickered out and darkness embraced him, he weakly pushed a little, red button right under the counter. Chrysalis was too occupied snickering about the unfortunate situation of the gray stallion to notice, though.

After she calmed down a bit, oblivious to the alarm that now ringed in the barracks of Canterlot Castle, she hid the butler’s motionless body inside a ridiculously large wooden shoe cabinet, using shoelaces to fixate his limbs and a pair of old socks to gag him. For a moment she considered killing the gray stallion, but then decided against it. It was neither necessary nor useful. The resulting mess could arouse suspicion and would take time to clean up - time she simply didn’t have.

The Queen was quite satisfied with herself. She had managed to get rid of this annoying snob while avoiding an open conflict. She took a key with a little key chain saying “private rooms” from a board behind the counter and made sure the main door to the mansion was tightly locked. Intruders were a possible security risk.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she trotted towards the stairs and ascended them. Her steps were cushioned by a soft, red carpet that lead all the way to the prince’s personal chambers. She scanned the area behind the door beforehand to make sure she wouldn’t run into the prince or the mysterious brown mare. Unfortunately, it seemed like both of them were located in the room right next to the door.

Muffled voices reached the Queen’s ears.

“... A bit of charity won’t hurt you,” the mare said in a soft tone.

“But mother…” a male voice, obviously Blueblood, whined, “these filthy commoners don’t deserve it. Homeless are just scum.”

“Every pony needs a place to live. And those more fortunate like us have the duty to care for them. But it’s okay, sweetie. I don’t want to argue… I trust you that you will know what’s right.” she answered, a bit of sadness and disappointment evident in her voice.

It strangely made sense that she was his mother. In many noble families it was not actually the stallion’s wife, but just a lover of common heritage, that gave birth to the family’s heir. Later the children and the rest of the family often tended to disguise the real circumstances of the birth, even going so far as to deny the commoner’s motherhood in public.

Chrysalis had heard enough. She knocked at the door loudly and modulated her voice to sound like the butler. Then she said,

“Master, you have a visitor, a high-ranking officer from Canterlot Castle, that brings important news directly from the princesses.”

The conversation between mother and son stopped abruptly.

“Well,” he huffed indignantly from inside, “if it’s really that important that you disregard my direct orders, send him in. This will have consequences.”

“I understand, Sir,” he answered, while unlocking the door with a key.

Meanwhile a contingent of guards was on its way.





Chrysalis entered a spacious and cozy living room, while the last rays of the sun were pouring through the wide, stained glass windows. The enormous couch, that looked as if it was made of silk, rested on a purple carpet laying on a fine wooden floor. On the couch sat her target beside his mother, a frown spread on the rather attractive face of the stallion. In front of the two ponies was a stack of documents on a small coffee table, just next to two steaming cups of tea and a small tablet.

“Lieutenant Swift Strike at your service, Sir!” she answered, while saluting.

After returning the greeting, Blueblood replied with slight disdain, “At ease, soldier.” Judging by his military background it was obvious that he was used to this procedure. After she had relaxed her posture the prince added, “Now report.”

Chrysalis cleared her throat. “With all due respect, Sir, I was instructed explicitly to deliver the message to you and nopony else,” she answered politely, shooting a glance towards the other mare.

Blueblood huffed in agitation, then he replied sternly, punctuating every word, while his eyes became hard, “This is my mother. I keep no secrets from her and I trust her with my life.”

“Unfortunately, this includes your mother,” Chrysalis interjected diplomatically, “This is no matter of mistrust, but I have to follow the protocol, Sir, or I might get in trouble.”

You better not argue with me, Lieutenant, or I can guarantee you will get in trouble. I can still pull a few strings in the military and I know just the right ponies who can transfer you to the badlands, far from your family and friends, where the conflict with the Diamond Dogs is still ongoing.” He waved his hoof dismissively in his mother’s direction, “Now let’s pretend my beloved mother is not here. How does that sound to you?”

She didn’t expect him to be this blunt, but she kept her cool, despite her growing anger.

‘Why do they all need to be this stubborn,’ Chrysalis asked herself, sighing internally. The former Queen of the changelings was so sick of this. She was just here to accomplish her mission, not to argue with petty nobles or their employees. 

At the same time, down in the lobby, a contingent of guards found the body of the knocked out butler.

To her surprise Blueblood's mother began to defend the disguised changeling. “Don’t be that hard on this poor guard,” the mare said softly, “Do you remember when you still served under Chrome Barding? You were always complaining about how pointless his orders were - but still you obeyed. He’s only doing his job, dear.”

“Poorly, indeed. He lacks respect. It appears that after I left the guard and Shining Armor became the Captain everything went downhill. The very fact that our fine Lieutenant is here and somehow managed to press my butler into letting him in, is an act of disrespect, that needs to be punished. But I will show mercy, should he stop delaying the issue this very instant!!” he answered, his eyes fixated on the coffee-colored mare.

‘This is not how I planned it, but I suppose this will work as well. Let's cut this short. There is no sense in wasting time,’ Chrysalis thought, charging up her horn, ‘I don’t see why I shouldn’t take the easy route - brute force! It’s a pity that he insisted on keeping his mother here, now she too will have to be dealt with, too.’ In fact she didn’t care at all.

Blueblood must have seen it in his peripheral vision or might have heard the static noise of the magic fizzling through the air - she didn’t know - but he managed to erect a magical barrier just in time, before the blast could hit him. The collision resulted in a small, colorful explosion, that shook the floor and threw the table, documents and tea cups through the room.

“Cease this insanity,” shouted Blueblood in alarm, “What in Tartarus do you think you're doing?” He remained composed, his experience from the guard allowing him to assess the situation. He noticed his mother from the corner of his eye, who was unharmed but in shock from the attack. The mare’s eyes were now as big as the saucers that laid destroyed on the ground. The experience was simply too much for the aging mare, she could handle it no longer and fainted.

Blueblood extended his spell so that the now motionless body of his mother was covered by the blueish aura as well. The Queen didn’t expect Blueblood was the kind to care about others, but it was his own mother after all. It was obvious now that the Queen could simply overpower him. His magical strength was great, his technique advanced, yet meant little when compared to Chrysalis. At her best she was on par with that damnable wench of the sun, a claim that few mortals could match..

Chrysalis cackled madly thoroughly enjoying herself and charged up more spells. When green magic met blue again and again, the barrier began to flicker and the stallion started to sweat visibly. Encouraged by the obvious success of her strategy the Queen kept up the steady stream of attacks.

Blueblood was too occupied with defending himself and his mother to land a blow on his opponent himself, damned to watch how his defenses began to crumble. Soon he dropped to his knees and his gaze unfocused, his usually so well-groomed, blonde mane becoming a disheveled mess, caused by the electrical static in the shield bubble.

Then his spell collapsed and a sound of breaking glass echoed through the room. The unicorn couldn’t keep the barrier up anymore - he had exhausted himself. At the sight of the now helpless prince a manic smile spread on Chrysalis’ face. Victory was near.

Quickly, her smirk vanished as she heard a frantic male voice shout, “Charge”, followed by the door behind breaking free of its hinges and skidding to the floor. She could detect the presence of at least a dozen guards. Acting on reflex she teleported behind the weakened prince, who barely clinged to consciousness. That the guards, who stormed into the room, didn’t assault her instantly, was due to the fact that her horn was pointed at the prince and again crackling with magic. It was a hostage situation, the nightmare of any officer.

“Stop right there!” she demanded “Or your precious little prince might get hurt. You wouldn't want to risk his royal plot being reduced to dust, would you? Step carefully, your very position in the guard hinges to his survival."

Taken aback the rusty commander stated, “Don't do anything rash, the situation doesn’t have to end this way.” In turn the guard was met with a dull expression from his opponent. It was obvious that the stallion wasn’t prepared for this. Equestria was a rather peaceful country and a brawl at a pub was the most violent thing your common guard would see through his career. 

The officer tried to reason with the disguised changeling. “We can solve this diplomatically. No pony needs to get hurt,” the guard pleaded as Chrysalis continued to channel more and more magic from her reserves, despite the growing  physical discomfort the overload brought with it.

“Are you okay, your Highness,” a female guard asked the Prince empathetically.

“Do I look l like it?! Are you stupid?” he answered, glancing towards his captor.

The older guard continued his rant. “Boy,” he argued, “There is no escape. Whatever motivated you to something so horrible, we can solve it. Do you think you can take on the whole Royal guard? There is no place in Equestria you can hide from us, especially should you murder a noble. Listen to reason! You will rot in the dungeon for years to come if you don’t cooperate now. Equestria is the country of second chances, compassion and tolerance, for Celestia’s sake. Have faith, boy! What you are about to do is just and plain wrong.” he continued to ramble, Chrysalis droning him out. She knew there was but only one option left to her.

“I will think about it,” she replied neutrally.

The whole situation was unexpected and worrisome. Her master had told her that her highest priority was to avoid getting caught. The blonde man had made it clear that this was even more important than accomplishing the original mission goals. The prince’s assassination was supposed to be a test of her skills, his death was just icing on the cake. What would be the point of this test if she was captured?

If she killed the prince now, she would need a few seconds to prepare another shot. This could be enough for the guards to overwhelm her with her mass. The disguised changeling needed to cause a distraction in order to flee from the scene of crime, while avoiding to give away her true nature. The Queen didn't want to disappoint her master by messing up, possibly tarnishing his good reputation by doing so.

Blueblood was surprisingly silent. Defeatedly, the proud stallion hung his head, obviously still too weakened to stand up. Magical exhaustion had taken its toll on him and it might take a few more hours, before he would be back to full strength. But Chrysalis wouldn't underestimate him. He was an experienced soldier. This might be a trick to lull her into a false sense of security, so she kept an eye on him.

The disguised changeling was aware that with every passing minute it became more unlikely she would escape. Reinforcements would arrive. She needed to act now. When the Queen was finally sure she couldn’t increase the amount of channeled magic anymore she aimed her horn at the ceiling and released the power.

Surprise was on the faces of the guards as the ceiling exploded in a shower of debris. Cracks formed in the structure and while it began to collapse. Taking her chance Chrysalis sprinted towards the window. Without hesitation she impacted her body impacted with the glass, causing it to break. The shards of glass cut into her carapace and sharp pain clouded her mind. She fell downwards into the garden of the mansion. Hissing in agony, she recovered from the impact with the ground and stood up. She had a mission.

Behind the breathless changeling parts of the mansion’s roof caved in. She heard screams of pain and sorrow coming from the second floor. Chrysalis sprinted towards the fence that separated the yard from the street and jumped, the P30 that was coursing through her veins increasing her strength. Just when she thought she made it over the barricade she impacted with an invisible barrier, blacked out and fell motionless to the ground.





Back in Ponyville a certain blonde man held a copy of the Equestria Daily in his hands. His face that - as usual - was completely devoid of any emotion didn’t give away his inner turmoil. His whole body was tense. Internally, he was cursing. The headline of today’s edition was: "Changeling Scheme Thwarted! - More to Follow"
> Consequences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Consequences


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Hundreds of mares and stallions in dark clothing rested on simple wooden benches in several lines before a polished oak wood coffin. Some were weeping, others lamenting the loss of such a kind mare, where some were just there to offer support on such a somber occasion. Said coffin was in the middle of a sea of flowers in a  beautiful collage of all colors and shapes. It must have cost a fortune to arrange, but he didn’t care. It was the least he could do for the mare he had loved, one of the few individuals he truly cared for. The words of the priest echoed loudly from the walls of the massive cobblestone hall. Yet Blueblood didn’t hear them, too occupied with his own thoughts and feelings regarding his mothers burial.

The cruel creature, Chrysalis, the changeling Queen, had taken her from him far too early. She had been only fifty years old, when her life was snuffed out like a candle in the wind. His mother had been a remarkable mare, so kind and caring, even for those, who didn’t deserve it, homeless scum, former criminals and the weak. More often than not, the brown mare had convinced him into donating for charity. She had supported him through all his life, the one he could always turn to when things went to tartarus. She was the only female he knew that was more than an exchangeable asset - neither a pawn nor a whorse to satisfy his baser desires. He was truly grateful for being a part of her life.

The changelings futile attempt to flee from the authorities left his poor mother mangled by the tons of falling debris, which now covered the entire second floor of his mansion. The damage done was so grotesque and revolting that the coffin needed to be closed through the ceremony to spare the griefing mass the cruel image of a once strong mare that now laid broken and maimed beyond recognition. His mother never stood a chance as she was still unconscious when the ceiling collapsed. Neither the doctors nor the field medic could do anything about it. She was dead on the spot. This act of malice had left a hole in his heart, he felt empty and clueless, one of his life’s pillars gone.

'Why?’ he asked himself. It didn’t add up. Why would the Queen come to his house? What was her motive? Did she need another puppet to control, just like Shining Armor a few months ago? She couldn't be out for his life, could she? A spy mission? What other reasons could there be? His time in the military left his mind grasping at the inconsistencies for some measure of truth. Some may consider him arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. The Prince knew that while he was important, that there were far easier and more valuable targets than a former elite guard. Considering the latest reports, there were only few changelings left. Why should the Queen pour what limited resources she had left in such a lost cause, even risking her own well-being in the process? She had proven herself to be a decent strategist in the past.

Whatever the true circumstances of this horrible tragedy were, he was eager, no, haunted to find out. The son was lusting for revenge to make those who were responsible for this tragedy pay, pay dearly for the crimes they committed and find out what all of this was about - even to his last breath, he sweared. Blueblood would arrange the best team money could buy to solve this case. So much did he owe his deceased mother, so much and more.





A knock on the metal front door echoed through the lab and disturbed the thoughts of the scientist. He chose to ignore the sound. Gazing towards the clock above the doorframe, the blond concluded that this was likely just the wall-eyed mailmare, who was far too talkative for the man’s taste. When she delivered the mail, she would usually try to engage him in a pointless conversation. What an annoying pest! He had more important matters to attend to now.

The windowless room was illuminated by a weak electrical light from above, one of the first of its kind. In front of him, on the shiny surface of the bureau, laid enormous stacks of documents, newspapers, notes and blueprints with all kind of information regarding the Queen’s capture and her current location, the Canterlot Dungeon. Right to that desk stood a simple blackboard, inscribed with a condensed version of his findings in Wesker’s hardly legible handwriting. He liked the old-fashioned feel of writing down his thoughts. It had often helped him to come up with new ideas - unlike today.

His options were rather limited. The Royal Guard was on high alert. Shining Armor still expected an attack from the remaining changelings. They didn’t know after all that Wesker had taken care of that problem some time ago. Princess Celestia herself had declared the attack a matter of national security. Several platoons were patrolling the Castle, pegasi monitored the air space, unicorns scanned the surrounding area for traces of shapeshifter magic and runes reinforced the dungeon buildings to be virtually indestructible. It seemed like there was nothing he could do and that annoyed him greatly. Wesker wasn’t used to being a victim of circumstance. Normally, he was the master of his fate.

Again a knock at the door. And again. He groaned, his hands massaging his temples. Maybe it was important, even if it was not he’d rather deal with it swiftly than to continue being disturbed. For a moment he pondered if it might be the Royal Guard coming to hunt him down. It had been three days since his plan failed and Chrysalis had been imprisoned. The former chairman of Umbrella was aware that with every passing minute it became more likely that they would find out the reason for the attack and who was truly behind all of this. Then he would need to leave this newfound home behind, just like he often had to back on earth, to vanish into the shadows.

“I know you’re in there, Wesker!” a familiar female voice sounded from the entrance. That damnable purple menace...

Wearily, he stood up, cracking some joints, and walked into the corridor, that lead to the front door. The stress had taken its toll on him. A quick glance into the mirror revealed Wesker that his usually well-groomed hair was in a quite disheveled state. He ran a hand through it to fix it, but unfortunately it was rather stubborn. Generally, the man looked rather pale, dark rings under his eyes, his body feeling somewhat exhausted, even though he knew intellectually that it was at top physical capability - a relict of his former human existence. Sighing, he opened the door.

“Good afternoon, Miss Sparkle,” he greeted the mare.

“Hi, Wesker,” she responded suspiciously cheery. She was up to something.

“What do you want?” he asked bluntly, intending to end this visit as soon as possible.

“I want to invite you to a picnic with the rest of the Elements of Harmony.”

“While I appreciate the offer I have to inform you that I currently have no time for that, princess. Goodbye.” he replied truthfully, thinking he was done with it.

But obviously the lavender mare didn’t accept this answer,

“Wesker! Please wait, you have to come out of your shell once in a while. I used to be like you, ignoring others in the pursuit of my studies. Your friends miss you,” she added with a worried look at the man, “and judging from your current state, I am sure you can use a distraction.”

“I don’t have time for this now, Twilight. Business calls. But be assured that I didn’t forget you,” he stated neutrally.

Before he could slam the door shut, she interjected,

“Wait! There’s another reason why I am here today. We were hoping you could assist us with a problem. You might have heard of it… Well, it depends on how long you have locked yourself away. It was a pretty big topic in the newspapers. Prince Blueblood has been assaulted by Queen Chrysalis, the leader of the changelings. Princess Celestia has enlisted the help of the Elements of Harmony in order to unearth any other threats that might lie behind the events.”

“And how could I help you?” Asked the man suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at this turn of events.

““Chrysalis isn’t acting like herself, as far as we can tell. She won't talk to anyone, wont eat, and she doesn’t sleep. That’s very dangerous and self-destructive behavior. I know her from earlier… ehem… meetings. She was a rather boastful character. ”

So his servant continued to obey his orders. This was joyful news, indeed. He had instructed Chrysalis if captured to cooperate as little as possible. The blonde researcher had feared that the magic that was now likely used to restrain and test the Queen or her futile attempt to escape the guard might have led to some defects in the injector system. Wesker had theorized that because of the electro-magical converter he had deployed to transform the prototype into a nearly autarc system an exceptional input of magic might cause an overload resulting in malfunctions. Fortunately, that was not the case.

“I see,” Wesker responded coldly, “You didn’t answer my initial question.”

Twilight continued, unfazed by the rather rude behavior of the man, "We need an experienced scientist. Despite your sometimes… difficult mannerisms you are a good friend of ours. Plus, judging from your latest achievements, long years of studies, first hand experience, and the generally more advanced state of your race regarding this field of science I'd be hard pressed to find a better pon... err... individual. Please, say you'll help.”   The mare pouted.

This was the perfect opportunity served on a silver platter.

“I agree. As a friend of yours it is my duty to help you in this endeavor. Please be assured of my support.”

She beamed.

“Good, come with me then.”





Wesker was concerned. It was possible all this was a trap to lure him into a false sense of security only to apprehend him when least he expected it. Could this young and innocent-looking mare possibly be manipulative enough to set up a trap? She did after all appeal to his pride and had managed to bait him to into attending a social gathering. While it seemed unlikely from his experiences with her, it still troubled him that he could manipulated. Yet in turn, this situation could be made to work in his favor.  There was still a chance that he could emerge from this situation completely unscathed. All he had to do now was join the troublesome alicorn and her friends in a picnic. As strange as it sounded, a chance at relaxation after the last few stressful days was a blessing he would not pass up.
> Outside
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Outside


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






Before he left his home, Wesker grabbed his black trench coat from a wooden wardrobe and secretly slipped the new, crudely-made pistol in its right pocket. The scientist hoped he wouldn't need it, since he wanted to avoid a confrontation if possible, but one couldn't be too cautious while dealing with what was basically a magical super weapon - the elements of harmony. 'Better to err on the side of caution,' Wesker thought as he joined Twilight outside, putting his shades on.

Man and mare didn’t talk on their way to Sweet Apple Acres where they were supposed to meet the alicorn’s friends. Still, it was no awkward silence, rather a relaxing one. After stressing over the situation for so long, the blonde man relished in the opportunity to refresh himself and bask in the beautiful evening. The sun was low on the horizone and even though they were near the Everfree, everything was peaceful and quiet, except the distant, harmonious chirping of birds and the gentle breeze that rustled through the trees’ canopy. It was a special, relaxing kind of music, that soothed the man’s nerves.

As they drew nearer to the farm, the wind carried the sound of laughter and conversations to their ears. The pair then crossed a grassy, little hill, when a familiar building came into view. This was where Wesker’s journey in Equestria had begun and where the picnic was being held. The man could already spot splotches in prominent forms of color down there, that were obviously ponies.

While Weskers eyes were a blessing in low light conditions, his vision was impaired by the bright sun as it shone down upon his light sensitive eyes. After some squinting, he could make out eight forms. Five with colors that matched the elements of harmony, and three smaller ponies. All were gathered under an enormous oak tree in the middle of a field of grass, resting upon a picnic rug.

When a loud and shrill shout, Wesker assumed it was Pinkie Pie, made the other ponies aware of the presence of the man and mare, who were now strolling down the path to the farm, the three smallest blobs of color stormed off in their direction. The movement, as it seemed rather suspicious to him, startled the man and reflexively he grabbed the pistol in his pocket, while clenching his other hand, looking at Twilight to find out if this was some kind of elaborated scheme. But soon, the man could identify them as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applebloom, Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo, and he relaxed. He didn't suspect that they would bring along the children if they had something planned.

Before Wesker could even wonder what they were up to, the three excited fillies were already running up the hill as fast as their little legs could support them. Wesker exchanged a confused glaze with Twilight, who in return just smiled enigmatically. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally came into reach, they did something, the former chairman of Umbrella didn’t expect. Burying their muzzles in the soft fabric they hugged and nuzzled his legs affectionately, saying something that, muffled by the soft fabric, vaguely sounded like, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

He didn’t know how to react. He had to admit they looked rather cute, like little puppies. Even as a man, who hadn’t hesitated to sacrifice his own species for the fulfillment of his vision, he was somewhat touched by the wide-eyed expression of the fillies. He would never admit that to himself, though.

The man didn’t have the heart to simply kick them away. Certainly, this was, because he had saved their companion, the white-coated unicorn. From his point of view Wesker could still discern a jagged scar under the white filly’s coat, the marks of the manticore attack. Grateful little foals. His face must have given away his surprise, because he could hear a soft snicker from the right. Twilight sported a bemused look.

“What?” Wesker asked, raising an eyebrow, quite uncomfortable with the situation. Only few individuals had ever dared to approach the man like this. He wasn’t used to being liked. Wesker had been many things in his rather long life, a scientist, a mercenary, a captain, but he was used to being treated as an authority, distanced and professional.

“It’s nothing.” she snorted.

“Little ones, I would appreciate if you'd stop this,” he said firmly, but lacking the usual cold tone in his voice.

Hesitantly, the three young fillies stepped back and Scootaloo spoke up, “We want to thank you, Mister Wesker, for saving our friend Sweetie Belle. You are an amazing hero! And totally not an egghead like Twil…” Scootaloo corrected herself lamely, “like other ponies. And how you beat this manticores up! You looked so cool, almost like Rainbow Dash, when she does a Supersonic Rainboom. You were like Bumm! Kawush!” Applebloom hit her on the shoulder, exchanging a stern gaze with her friend.

Sweetie Belle chirped in, “What she meant to say is that I, no we, are grateful. We would have told you earlier, but Rarity insisted that we shouldn’t disturb you while you were working in your laboratory. And you’ve been awfully busy. But we’ve prepared something small for you to show you our gratitude. Applebloom?”

The yellow-coated filly extracted something from a little saddlebag ornamented with a stylized apple. A closer observation revealed it was card made of paper. Curiously eyeing the object, Wesker took the card from the outreached hoof of the filly, looking into three pairs of expectant puppy eyes.

On the front of the card was a crude drawing of a pink heart with a blue emblem, on which the silhouette of a beige, triumphantly looking pony wearing a cape was emblazoned, the logo of the cutie mark crusaders. It looked like one of theses cards that his coworkers used to bring to work and drape around their personal workspaces when he still was a researcher at the Umbrella facilities. He opened it.

Twilight, who was craning her neck to have a good at it as well, d’awwwd.

Three tiny hoofmarks, obviously the fillies’, were printed with simple ink on the left side of this card with a big ‘Thank You’ in red, written with crayons. On the right side there was a hoofdrawn picture, that was depicting the three fillies, who were holding hooves with tall, blond-haired figure dressed in black under a smiling sun on a lush field with crudely drawn flowers. Wesker recognized himself.

The man knew he was supposed to be somewhat touched. That was what any normal adult would be in this situation. But he was no normal adult by any standard. Still, they instilled some sense of pride in him, since they obviously adored the human.

“Thank you for this gift, I appreciate the sentiment,” Wesker replied neutrally. Obviously the Crusaders didn’t catch how empty his words were, because the smiles that were plastered on their faces, widened even more - to comical dimensions - and they did what Wesker could only describe as a victory dance, clapping their hooves in excitement.

When they finally arrived down at the barn, Wesker was greeted warmly by all the adult ponies. All the suspicion and the underlying anguish, that the mares had shown in his first week in Equestria, had vanished. None appeared to be hiding anything, it appeared his concerns about the nature of this event had been proven wrong so far. Perhaps there was no trap, was it possible he could simply enjoy this relaxing evening?

It was a rather extensive picnic, a feast literally worthy of a princess. Applejack had generously provided the products of her family, apple cider and apple juice for the foals, steaming apple fritters and plain and simple apples. Pinkie had baked a tray of cupcakes and a grotesquely large cake in the dimensions of a truck wheel, decorated with rainbow pattern, while Fluttershy had prepared two large bowls of salad. Even Twilight had brought something. Shortly after they arrived, she lifted a box with an assortment of flower sandwiches from her saddlebag and added it to the collection of food.

Overall, the evening turned out to be quite pleasant. Wesker had to admit that he did not follow most of the conversations as the subjects rarely interested him nor did they cover anything important, just mindless chatter. Mostly, he was content with tuning them out and just enjoying the nature and the food. For once it seemed possible that he wouldn't have to deal with random threats, unknown evils, that ever so cheerful mailmare, or for that matter, many of the other pony idiosyncrasies that plagued his life here.







Contentment was on the faces of the surrounding ponies. Their bellies were full, the sun was shining and no troubles clouded their minds. Eventually the conversation drifted towards the planned trip to Canterlot.  Most of it was spent discussing how they would spend their free time when not investigating Chrysalis and the attack on the ever so... unfortunate Prince Blueblood. 

Twilight seemed eager to see her family, Rainbow Dash was excited about the upcoming Wonderbolt show, and Miss Rarity was determined to mingle with the higher class and promote her tailoring. The blonde man was making plans of his own, though they were of a far different nature. The scientist was pondering about how he could best retrieve his misplaced tool without issue. But he wasn’t left alone for too long. His thoughts were disturbed by Twilight clearing her throat, a curious expression on her face, as she inquired,

“I’ve heard you’ve visited Princess Luna in the Castle quite often in the last few weeks. I have to admit I'm curious, what do you think of her?"

Strange. That was an odd way of pulling him into the conversation. Regardless, he answered bluntly,

“Princess Luna is good company, as she is a very insightful mare. Although, I must admit she can be awkward at times. But it’s more of her doing that we met that often. Not that I hold it against her, but she seems to summon me to the palace for the silliest of reasons."

Twilight nodded understandingly.

“Will you be visiting her sometime during this trip?”

“I wouldn’t oppose meeting with the princess again.”

Wesker could swear Twilight was fighting the urge to smirk

“So, you like her?” Rarity asked a spark of mischief in her eyes.

Internally he shrugged, what evil could come out of acting friendly?

“Indeed, as I said, I value her company. She had been very helpful. We share a few sentiments and views. Also, she is very studious and intelligent. Your princess isn’t that different from Twilight in that concern. A remarkable mare.”

The six mares shared a conspirative look and Rarity leaned towards her lavender friend and whispered something in her ear, causing the alicorn to giggle. This felt … unpleasant. There was a reason why he was not fond of sharing personal information. Knowledge was power.

Fortunately, Applebloom picked just this moment to approach the man and saved him with an innocent request, again with her best puppy eye expression.

“Do you want to play some Frisbee with us?” she asked.

The man agreed as there was nothing to be gained from the current conversation with the Elements. A bit of physical exercise after a meal wouldn’t do the super human any harm. The former chairman of Umbrella was aware that throughout the town they were known as troublemakers. But he had dealt with far worse in his eventful life. What could possibly go wrong?





Well… he certainly didn’t expect this.

The man had only left them alone briefly to grab another snack from the buffet and say goodbye to Fluttershy, Twilight and Spike, who were departing early. Because the sun was already setting and her friends seemed to be rather worried about the wellbeing of the cream-colored mare, who lived near the dangerous Everfree, it was decided that Fluttershy would be accompanied by Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack, effectively leaving the man alone with the fillies for the time being. Both Applejack and Rarity had asked him if he was OK with this before they left and if one of them should stay with him here to watch over the Crusaders. But being the proud man we all know and love, he refused their help. ‘Just children,’ Wesker told himself. Exactly this attitude was biting him in the ass now - like so many times before.

When he came back to the spot behind the barn where he had left them, he could swear it was only a couple of minutes, they were nowhere to be seen. But then he noticed curious sounds emerging from the red barn building. It was loud and distraught mooing. Alarmedly, Wesker circled the barn to get a better look at what was happening. Then, exactly when its double doors came into view, they were ripped open and a herd of cows streamed out of the building - in panic, three certain, colorful dots on their backs.

“Yeeha! Why didn’t we think of this before. You live on a farm after all! Cutie mark crusaders cow mares!” a voice he could identify as Scootaloo’s screamed excitedly, as they were carried past him - directly towards the town, leaving the man dumbfounded.

His legs were moving on their own. ‘Not on my watch!’ Wesker thought in exasperation, sprinting after them. But what should he do? The momentum of the cows would be too much for him to stop by brute force, also there was the chance of him, the crusaders or the farm animals getting injured in the process. The scientist didn’t want to have to explain that to their sisters. There was one thing he was sure of, though. The former captain of the S.T.A.R.S. would need to stop them before this disaster reached Ponyville, or even the ridge of the nearby hill, which was in the direct line of sight to the settlement. He had to, otherwise he would be held responsible for the resulting chaos.

Wesker hastened his steps, slowly passing the herd and getting ahead of them. It didn’t take much out of the man to do so. Now he had a plan. At full speed he extracted the pistol from his right pocket, looking over his shoulder, while the landscape blurred past him, avoiding trees and bushes.

“Secure yourselves now!” he shouted in a commanding tone at the fillies, who were eyeing him curiously, like a madman. Nevertheless, they seemed to obey. The Cutie mark Crusaders clung tightly to the horns and tail of the cow they were riding.

Wesker unlocked the safety on his weapon as he aimed at a loose pile of dirt, and fired! The crackling sound of thunder came from the weapon, which had the intended effect. The panicking herd came to a stop, resulting in a small crash. A shrill scream could be heard as Applebloom flew through the air, her eyes wide with fear. Internally sighing the man adjusted his shades.

Then, fast as he could Wesker dashed forward - an observer would see nothing but a black blur - he jumped and caught the filly under his arm, just like a football.





After he finished talking to the leader of the cows, who was quite embarrassed with herself for acting so foolishly, he lead them back to the barn, assessing what damage had been done. Fortunately the damage was just a few bruises amongst the herd. Much to his relief, it appeared there was little chance that the cows would talk about this incident with their employer and landlord Applejack. The blonde man then returned to the fillies, whom he had instructed to wait at the place of the picnic to avoid any further disturbances.

Fortunately, this time the cutie mark crusaders had listened to his orders. It was time for a talk. With a stern gaze he examined the downtrodden fillies. Then he spoke up, mimicking the lecturing tone of his own former foster parents, “What were you thinking? I’m disappointed in you, girls," He paused for dramatic effect, realizing that this was more than just children being children. They called themselves Cutie Mark Crusaders for a reason and if the rumors hold true they were rather adamant about obtaining these marks. But why? What was the logic behind this, he asked himself.

The man continued, “"I expected so much more from you three. What is so important about these marks that you would risk not only your own personal safety but that of the cows and town as well? Explain yourselves!”

Scootaloo replied matter of factly, “Well, because we will know what we are the very best at, of course. Our destiny in life! What makes us special! We are the only fillies in our class without a cutie mark!”

“I'm beginning to understand,” he responded neutrally, “But as far as I know every pony gets a mark, eventually,” the man questioned the filly’s story.

“Duh, that’s why we go crusading of course!”

Wesker facepalmed. How could he teach these ignorant welps to behave? After a short period of awkward silence he asked,

“Girls, I know that you want these marks for recognition they bring and the chance to find your place in this world. But have you ever wondered what they truly represent?”

The fillies seemed somewhat stumped. Then the blond man explained,

“You three are still full of potential, being allowed to choose your own path from endless possibilities. That is a gift, not a curse. Certainly this would change once you got your marks. In your society they mark the point from which one your life is determined. In turn damning you to the end of your days to do whatever they tell you or even worse to live knowing that you can’t aspire to what your so-called ‘purpose’ is. I can see you were indoctrinated to believe this, yet be assured that you can be so much more. These marks matter little if you don’t believe in them or see them for what they truly are. A mark, nothing more, nothing less.”

Shifting his gaze to Sweetiebelle, 

“Take your sister Rarity for example. She has a diamond as a cutie mark and if I remember this little story of hers correctly she got it while digging for gems. How much does that have to do with tailoring, I ask you? Sounds more like mining to me, to be honest.”

The man paused for effect, allowing the words to sink in,

“Don’t allow these marks to make you slaves, children. Why would you want to have your destiny thrust upon you, to be branded like mindless animals? Of course it is fine, or even desirable for such young ladies as you, to broaden oneself’s horizon by discovering your boundaries. Yet this should not be at any cost, just because you feel like you’re missing something out or you’re being pressured by your peers.

I don’t have a cutie mark, either. Do I look like a failure to you?"

Wesker asked rhetorically,

“It is neither a mark that dictates my importance in life, nor an infantile belief in what makes me unique. There will be many that would judge themselves your better for pointless reasons. It could be for your mark or lack thereof, perhaps it relates to how wealthy you are, or even the importance your family holds. Would you allow yourselves to be controlled by the misconceptions and ignorance that society breeds? What makes me valuable is what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved. My actions and talents show who I am, and what I am capable of. Always strive for more, but take reasonable risks. That’s what I advise.”

An understanding shown in their eyes, at which point their once depressed look had vanished.

Cleverly, the man added, “Today’s little incident may slip my mind, when your sisters return,” he wasn’t too thrilled about telling them, anyway, ”if you promise me to heed my advice.”

Once again to his discomfort, three cheering fillies were hugging his legs.
> Once Again In Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Once Again In Canterlot


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






So six days after the picnic at Sweet Apple Acres, on a Friday, Wesker would once again be traveling to Canterlot, the pristine capital of Equestria. Only this time, though, it wasn’t by chariot, but by train. A rather archaic and sickly colorful version of a train, but a train nonetheless. The scientist and the Elements of Harmony met at afternoon at Ponyville station with their luggage on their backs. It was a cloudy day, and some rain was scheduled later for the small town. 

The weather did little to discourage the large number of pony families and even an older gryphon couple from looking forward to their weekend trip. The Elements were accompanied by Spike, who was weighed down with Miss Rarity’s baggage just like a packing mule, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. To Wesker’s delight, he found that the four children would not be traveling with them - they were just seeing off their loved ones. One less distraction to deal with while he attempted to fix his mistake.

Spike had managed to persuade his overprotective caretaker, to leave him behind in Ponyville to watch over the library for the few days she was out of town. Though, judging by the evil eye Twilight was giving the young lizard, it appeared to have been a rather heated conversation. Whereas the three fillies were supposed to stay at Scootaloo's home under the supervision of her parents and were obviously excited to spent such an extended period of time together. Still, they seemed genuinely sad about their sisters and even the man leaving, who they called ‘Uncle Wesker’ now, much to his dismay. 

That aside, Wesker did not travel unprepared, either. Just like the mares, he had taken measures to ensure that his businesses were handled properly. While he was away, he had instructed his 'accomplice' Clean Cut, to continue  running experiments at his lab and file whatever paperwork was necessary. It was his hope that keeping Clean Cut busy would keep him from brooding over the mess Chrysalis left behind for them to clean up.

While it was planned as a five day trip, Wesker was aware that more time may be required, especially if the man could come up with a feasible method to free the former Queen of the changelings without issue. Wesker had to be cautious, he could take advantage of the chaos such an escape would bring, but to ensure nothing could be linked to him would be challenging. He could not accept failure, he would not be forced to hide in the shadows again if it was within his control.

Then, when the train conductor, a rather average beige-colored earth pony mare, exclaimed the train would leave soon, words of parting were exchanged. Fortunately, no tears were shed and most of them were in a good mood. In Wesker's opinion, these ponies tended to be far too emotional at times. And as a result he felt like an actor around them. He idly wondered if his acting successfully masked his lack of genuine emotions, since he was sure it could be recognized as such. Perhaps they viewed him as an individual that rarely showed his emotions? Whereas back on Earth  he had often been told that he seemed distant, cold and calculating, even intimidating. He had been fairly fond of that sentiment, yet would it serve him here?

However, now he believed that if it wasn’t for the understanding and good will of the ponies, he would have be called out a fake a long time ago. Having people (or in this case ponies), who called themselves his friends was an unusual experience for him. Yes, he had considered Will Birkin his friend, but ultimately it was their common interest in science and a similar outlook on life that brought them together. Yet with these ponies he didn’t share that kind of bond. Frankly, he wasn’t great in social situations. But he would adapt - as always.

Finally, they entered this colorful monstrosity, leaving Ponyville behind, as the train doors were closed and with a small hiss the vehicle started to move shakily. They had a private cabinet, which was paid by the crown and Prince Blueblood, who had taken an immense - and worrisome - interest in the obscure circumstances pertaining to his mother’s death, just like all expenses of the journey. The man was rather glad he didn’t need to share his cabinet with one of the obnoxious pony families and their annoying spawn. In addition, they would be paid rather generously for their services, too, or at least Twilight had told him as much. Which was a nice plus, he figured, as he was only fixing his own mess.

Now, he would be alone with the ponies for the coming hours. Fortunately, he had brought along some books, so he didn’t need to waste his time by taking part in their mindless chatter. There were far more important things demanding his attention now. He would need all the information he could get, if his plan was to be a success.





Wesker had spent the last two hours and thirty minutes reading, losing himself in a book about the history and layout of Canterlot Castle. Could his part in this investigation, or his rank bestowed upon him, allow him control over security, or would just the knowledge behind their routines and security measures be all he needed?  As he turned a page, he overheard a rather interesting conversation between Rarity and Applejack.

“Ah, before I forget!” Rarity exclaimed suddenly, “Dear, do you have any clue why the girls are acting so strange, lately?”

“No,” answered the farm mare, “Ahm not sure what ya talking about, Sugarcube?... Ah have to admit, though. That ah was quite busy with the farm work. Getting up early, working until the last rays of the sun, then going to bed. Ah had to finish the harvest before we traveled to Canterlot. It’s this time of the year again, remember? Is it crusader-related?” 

“Ah, I see. I still remember when Big Mac was injured and you tried to do the work all yourself. Even after we convinced you to allow us to help, it was quite a time-consuming task...” said Rarity thoughtfully, “But back on topic, I do belive that it is crusader-related. When I ran into Cherilee at the Spa this week, she informed me that our sisters have been bullying their fellow students around. She told me she would have brought it up at the next parent’s consultation day, if she didn’t meet me beforehoof. But I'm having trouble believing it, honestly, it seems so unlike those three considering what they have been through in the last year. Sweetie Belle has always been such a good filly.”

“Hey girls, you talking about the squirts?” Rainbow Dash chirped in, looking up from one of those laughable Daring Doo books. Of course, this prismatic idiot was not interested in books of real value, just this rubbish. The cow pony nodded.

Mulling over what Rarity just told her, Applejack asked, “And yer not pulling my leg? I've known you long enough to realize you may be making this out to be more than it is.”

“Applejack?! How could you accuse moi of such!?” she whined, half in joke, half serious.

Rainbow snickered, while Applejack returned with a flat look hiding a small smirk, “Okay, Rarity… So what exactly is mah little sister doing?”

“She said that they have been bossing and bullying the other children around. Telling them that they are the more valuable individuals for NOT having cutie marks… What an incredulous thought! I seriously believe at this point that they have developed some kind of inferiority complex due to not getting their cutie marks yet.

After catching her breath, Rarity sighed, “Foals grow up so fast these days. When I was still young, it certainly was different. Some fillies of Sweetie’s age even have colt friends… although I doubt it’s anything serious.” she continued, “Anyway, this is not where it stops, they have been making fun of the other fillies’ and colts’ special talents. For example they told Snails - I don’t know if you remember him, a rather lanky colt with a snail cutie mark - that certainly his cutie mark stands for him being slow…” she added, “mentally.”

“Yer serious?  I can't believe they would be that mean,” replied Applejack in shock, 

Rainbow being the reserved Pegasus that she is, only snickered slightly and stated  “Pffft... Wasn't that one of the colts that brought the Ursa Minor into town? I can't say its helping his case!'

“Rainbow! That is not the point, it was very rude and ill-mannered,” Rarity interjected.

The farm pony answered, “Ah know… Do ya have any clue, why they are misbehaving?”

“I talked with Sweetibelle, after I heard of it, and she doesn’t want to tell me. She is avoiding my questions, I feel it,” Rarity said, putting her hoof to her chin.

“Meh, it’s just the other fillies being jealous or jerks themselves I bet. Those three are pretty cool after all. Not as cool as me of course, but they are on the right track, especially Scootaloo, my number one fan!” Rainbow Dash said, earning long sighs and rolled eyes from the girls. 

Oblivious to her friends amusement she continued, putting a hoof at her heart, “When I was a younger some ponies couldn’t handle my awesomeness, either. Greatness like mine casts long shadows, you know! I bet Cherilee is just overreacting, foals are foals afterall. Fortunately, being the modest mare I am. I learned to hold back my own awesomeness, so I don’t intimidate other ponies with my coolness, as much anymore – well, most of the time!”

While Dash continued to rant, Applejack leaned over to Rarity and whispered something in her right ear. The white-furred unicorn mare stifled a laugh and a very unlady-like blush spread over her cheeks. Applejack couldn’t hold it anymore, laughing out loudly and her friend joined wholeheartedly.

That ended the prismatic tomboy’s ego trip. “...Hey, what gives?” Dash said, as she realized that she likely was the butt of the joke. Furiously snorting, she looked back into her book, “If you don’t need my advice you could have told me! That’s just another example for what I said... ” She pouted, but this didn’t help her, either. Now Pinkie, who had joined them in this corner of the train cabinet, was laughing about the hilarious expression on the face of the prismatic mare, too. “...that’s not cool,” she told herself silently, trying not to lose her temper to embarrass herself further.

“C'mon, Rainbow, you know we're just teasing, right girls?” Applejack said, as the three of them had calmed down and she noticed the pegasus’ slightly downtrodden expression. Hyperactively, Pinkie Pie nodded and blubbered something unintelligible. The fashionista agreed graciously, “Darling, it was not our intention to hurt you.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m not hurt in the slightest. Nothing to forgive,” answered the prismatic mare, but her voice told a different story. The three mares were used to her over inflated ego. But honestly, sometimes someone needed to remind her that she was just a normal pony, a pony with flaws. They were aware that her childhood was a sore point in her life. It hadn’t been the best, as she was more than once the target of bullies and it was possible there was even more to that since no one had ever met her parents. Even at Heart’s Warming Eve the prismatic Pegasus didn’t leave Ponyville to visit them in Las Pegasus, their current place of residence.

Applejack inquired, leaning to the fashionista, “Back to the topic, Why didn’t you tell me earlier when we still waited for the train. I’m sure we could have figured it out together.”
“Applejack, you don’t part from your loved ones in a dispute. What if something happened to them? You would never forgive yourself that the last memory of them is having an argument. Only a few weeks ago Sweetie was barely clinging to life, and she would be dead if our hero here hadn’t saved her,” she muttered, pointing at Wesker.
“Well, I suppose you’re right,” said Applejack quietly.

This rather saddening thought put a damper on the fairly cheerful atmosphere. Even Pinkie Pie was quiet, remembering the gruel details of a certain night. A period of uncomfortable silence followed. After a few seconds, however, the farm mare broke the silence,

“I will need to talk to mah sister when I come back. She will get a chance to explain herself, but if what Cheerilee said is true, I'll talk some sense into her. No apple, especially my sister, will be known as a bully!”

‘Just great,’ Wesker thought exasperatedly, ‘I hope cleaning up the mess left behind by those three fillies won’t become a common occurrence. The first time I needed to save this Sweetibelle from the poison of a manticore, then their failed attempt at being cowgirls, and now I have to help them and myself in order to avoid the ire of their sisters. Those fillies have managed to surprise me again... I suppose their reputation is well deserved.'





When the seven of them emerged from the train, three hours later, they entered a large, half-open station building, being support by an enormous iron scaffolding structure. The ceiling was made of glass and allowed the sun to pass directly to the ground. It was a rather crowded and busy station. Several train lines passed through it, while a few stores lined the sides of the spacious building.

A surprise awaited the group. Luna, the princess of the night, stood near the tracks. She was accompanied by two of her lunar guards, Thestrals in a deep blue. Luna was smiling brightly at her visitors, waving cheerfully with her hoof. Then she approached the six mares and the man. The common ponies around her watched her curiously, but returned to their business  after a few moments, as her guards shot them some sharp glances.

Wesker figured that part of the reason the ponies didn’t approach her was that some of them were still wary of the princess of the night. If it was her sister, who was waiting in the train station, even with a dozen of guards to keep the commoners away. He would imagine most of the ponies would still try to talk to her and offer praise or gratitude. For hundreds of years Luna had been the cruel mare in the moon, a mythos, yet only two years ago was she reformed and the curse was lifted. Their worry was understandable. 

Unlike Wesker, these ponies did not know her personally. He could guarantee Princess Luna wasn’t the same pony as the horrible, irrational spirit Nightmare Moon, who wanted eternal night, and brought suffering over its subjects. She was studious, resourceful, introverted and calm - a perfect allegory of the night. However, Wesker wondered if the burning wish of acknowledgment, that had driven her into insanity, was still buried in her heart. More than once she had hinted that she wasn’t that happy about her mostly ceremonial role in the kingdom.

“Welcome to Canterlot, dearest friends,” she said loudly, but nonetheless in a regal tone, “We hope thine trip was to thy liking?”

“Greetings, Luna, it was pleasant overall.” Wesker answered nonchalantly.

Full of respect for the princess of the night the former Elements muttered their greetings and bowed deeply, except Twilight of course, who as a princess herself was not obliged to show the older ruler her respect, but nonetheless flinched slightly when her companions lowered their heads as she had the urge to, as it had been a long ingrained reflex. Wesker just stood by motionless, a slight grin on his face. Neither did he want to submit himself to the mare nor was he one of their ‘precious’ subjects, in fact he wasn’t even a citizen of this country, yet, and until he would finally receive the honors of the title “Defender of Harmony” at the upcoming Gala in two weeks, it wouldn’t change.

With a slight smile at Albert's antics Luna stated “Rise, my ponies,” taking pride in their gesture.

“Princess Luna, what are you doing here?” a surprised Twilight asked.

“Well, Twilight, we... er... I overheard that thy party would be arriving in Canterlot by train, so I just felt like doing it. After all, you are very important ponies,” she winked at Wesker, “And humans, of course. But most of all, you are my friends. Far too few opportunities present themselves, in which I can meet with thee.” she replied, “Please, accompany me to the castle. There is much to discuss.”





As they walked on, Luna, and the Elements lost themselves in mindless chatter. Wesker on the other hand, had no interest in participating. The human clothed in black silently trotted after them. While doing so, Wesker made note of some rather worrisome observations.

First of, Wesker noticed the increased presence of security in this city. The last few times when he had visited the capital he had only seen a handful of guards, now they were standing at every street corner. It seemed like they were taking the threat very seriously, fearing an attack of the non-existent changeling forces.

Secondly, there was a pink dome around the Castle, a force field he assumed.

And thirdly, there were some very rigorous procedures setup at the train station, the man presumed it would be the same for the city’s gates. Whenever a Pony wanted to enter or leave the building, the eight of them excluded of course, they were scanned with a spell by a nearby guard. Also, flying was banned for the moment as several large posters that were lining the streets told the man.





Halfway to the castle, after she had caught up with the recent developments in Ponyville - well, developments were an overstatement for such a small and peaceful community - the princess of the night allowed herself to fall behind the group and started a talk with the man.

“So how is my favorite human doing?” she asked.

“As good as always,” Wesker answered, “There is nothing to complain about.  Everything goes according to  plan, so to say.”

“Thou and your plans,” she laughed lightly. Or was there a hint of nervousness in her voice?

After a moment of reflection, “Albert, I wish to ask a boon of thee… Princess Cadance and her husband Prince Shining Armor, Twilight’s brother, are in visiting Canterlot. Cadance hath expressed an interest in meeting with thee. Perchance, we could visit with them at the Canterlot Opera House in a few hours? Last when we spoke, thou mentioned great appreciation in the classical arts of music.”

“Normally I would enjoy such an event,” he replied, “Yet, there are more pressing matters at hand. Luna, you know I’m on a mission. Certainly, you have heard about the tragedy that has befallen the Bluebloods?”

A sad expression flashed over her face. ‘Why must this human be so dense?’ Luna asked herself. But then it reverted back as if nothing had happened. She answered,

“I am privy to such, yet thine mission gives reason to attend. Shining Armor is the captain of the Royal Guard and his wife is Blueblood’s cousin. It is both a personal matter and one of necessity.”

“I see,” then with vigor he added, “It would be an honor to accompany you to Canterlot Opera, Princess Luna.”

She smiled.
> Deep Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Deep Down


Wesker in Equestria


by DeepThought






After the small group broke away from Princess Luna, they all retreated to their respective rooms to unpack and prepare for their visit. It was only later in the afternoon that Twilight and Wesker had managed to convince the rest of the reluctant group, much to their dismay, to have at least a quick look at the prisoner down in the dungeons. 

Of course, the studious mare and the scientist did so for vastly different reasons. One of curiosity, while the other was out of necessity. With Twilight in the lead, they quickly found their way to the dungeon, which was located under the castle. After Twilight had shared a short talk with the commanding officer at the checkpoint, they proceeded down the barely lit, endless hallways of the castle’s dungeon, accompanied by another indistinctive, white-furred royal guard.

As a whole, the walk was rather cold and intimidating. Most of the walls and floors were constructed of cobblestone, showing signs of being at least a few hundred years old. Yet, they would occasionally run into a section where the walls were made of solid, purple crystal which appeared to be far older. To the dismay of the group, the light provided by the unicorns would dim when traversing these sections. But what little light  remained would cascade off the crystals in an almost haunting rainbow of hues. 

To Wesker, it was obvious why the architects had picked this location for the dungeons. He had read that these crystals were supposed to be very strong magic insulators. They would gradually sap an individuals ability to use magic, and hinder any used in its presence.

The layout of the complex was completely insane, though. Steps would lead up and down again and there were cross ways where more than four paths would meet. There were no signs that would indicate the direction or even the cell numbers. Either this was the ingenious idea of an architect to keep the prisoners from escaping by making it impossible to find a way out or the constructors had been imbeciles. Anyone foolish enough to enter this labyrinth without a guide would be hopelessly lost.

Drops of water were running down many of the surfaces and little puddles had formed on the ground. The air was chilly. Gone was the luxury of the castle above. Sounds of unknown origin and the frequent cacophony of water hitting the ground echoed down the halls. The ponies looked rather frightened, as they took turn after turn, deeper into the bowels of the castle. None of the girls were interested in conversation, some tried to put up a tough front, but their ragged breathing spoke volumes. Now and then there would be movement in the darkness behind the rays of light the unicorns’ horns emitted. Screeching noises. There had to be mice or rats in the darkness. But whenever the group drew nearer there was nothing to be seen, almost as if ghosts were patrolling the hallways. The man could only assume that his companions already regretted their decision, judging by the frightful looks they were shooting each other. Poor Fluttershy shook like a leaf. 

However, unlike his companions, Wesker was completely unfazed by the gloomy atmosphere. His numerous encounters with zombies, mutants, and other horrors in the past had hardened his resolve. He had committed many 'crimes' against nature and humanity respectively. What need did he have to fear the dark when neither gods or any living beings filled him with dread? None, as such he would remain calm and cautious as always. With that thought, Wesker only had his destination in mind and what other security lay waiting in these depths.

For the girls, it felt as if time stretched to eternity, until they finally reached their destination.  It was a door made of heavy, rusty iron at the end of a passage, indistinguishable from the several they already passed on their way. The guard then extracted a strange-looking key, made of gold and ornamented with a ruby, from his armor's inner pocket. With a barely audible click, the door was unlocked, and the ruby briefly flashed red. 

“That’s it,” the guard said in relief.

Then, his magic enveloped the door’s handle. The handle screeched as it was pressed down and the door opened. Bright light poured into the hallway, bringing discomfort to the man’s eyes. The silhouette of the guard blocked the light, as he stepped forward. The girls followed, breathing sighs of relief. Wesker stepped into the light, shielding his sensitive eyes with his hands. With a loud noise the door automatically swung back into its frame, after the human let go of the doorknob.

Here you go, your Highness,” the guard said, while positioning himself next to the entrance, “You have free roam of the grounds, I will stand guard here, until you are ready to return.”

“Understood, officer“ Twilight answered formally. She added, “Thanks for the escort.”

The man grabbed the shades in the pockets of his coat and placed them firmly on his nose. He took a look at the room’s content. The scientist had to admit he was surprised. The view almost was anachronistic. Here, deep down in the oldest part of the castle, that centuries ago was a crystal mine, there was a wide, highly modern laboratory. Magical lights illuminated the room and reflected on several shiny, metal surfaces. Modern architecture mixed with the old layout of a cell. There were microscopes, flasks, shelves full of books and ingredients in the middle of the room, everything needed for proper research. 

“Wow, that is a lot of sciency stuff!” Pinkie Pie said, while Applejack whistled approvingly.

The man could only agree. This was a ‘lot of sciency stuff’, as the pink mare so eloquently had put it. And naturally in one way it delighted him to see this, as he would work with this equipment in the coming week and possibly even for a longer duration, but in another it caused him a lot of distress.

If these were the tools he and his “team” would be working with, it would be quite a task to cover things up. He couldn't understand it. With these tools at their disposal it would be child's play to find out there was something wrong with the changeling’s blood. Even these quadrupeds had a good chance to discover the secret that was buried deep inside Chrysalis’ chest.  He knew they had a magical equivalent to a radiograph, so why haven't they discovered it? On the other hand the human didn’t know if the pony scientist even had a clue what changeling blood was supposed to be composed of. It was rather irritating that the level of science and engineering was so inconsistent in this world. Oftentimes the man would underestimate the abilities of these ponies, and at others he would overestimate them.

Of all individuals in this room, it was Twilight that presented the greatest risk. Sure, she wasn’t an expert on the topic, but she was a mare of an exceptional intellect. Even with her naive ivory tower attitude, she was the individual who was most likely to notice any tampering done to Chrysalis or their findings. Though that would only hold true if she wasn't kept sufficiently occupied.

A very giddy Twilight, who was now the subject of Wesker’s worries, trotted throughout the room, inspecting the facility with glee. While her friends stood still, looking over the vast arrangements of scientific apertures, unsure of how to proceed, as they certainly had no clue what these instruments were supposed to do. They lacked the proper scientific education. Why did Twilight and Princess Celestia insist to bring them along, anyway? Of course it had to be related to the fact that they were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. But did they really believe they could simply zap the answers out of the changeling Queen with their rainbow friendship beam? How foolish! On the other hand this world operated on different rules. Once they had saved Princess Luna with the help of the Elements quite impressively and numerous foes of the kingdom laid defeated by those shiny trinkets. The man wouldn’t be so short-sighted to underestimate the power of these artifacts. 

A sudden exclamation tore the man from his thoughts, “This is amazing!” Twilight exclaimed, the former anxiousness induced by the dark hallways being washed away. She was holding a green book in her magical grip, which was emblazoned with a stylized light blue wizard hat and white stars, “I knew that they didn’t want to spare any expense, but this? Wow! Even your laboratory lacks some of this equipment, Wesker.” 

And right she was, the man had to admit to his dismay. Then, the mare’s eyes widened even more and she pointed towards the right corner of the room. Wesker’s gaze shifted and he noticed a giant, dark cage of glass embedded into a wall of crystal.

“Look. There she is! Queen Chrysalis!”

There was a weak light in the shadow behind the glass and he could discern the silhouette of a figure behind it. With his curiosity piqued, the man closed the gap to the glass cage, squinting his eyes and indeed, just as Twilight had said, he could recognize his servant. In the wake of Twilight’s discovery, the rest of the group immediately perked up at this development, all except the guard that is, who stayed at his post, his face devoid of any emotion, followed suit. 

The first glance into the cage revealed the former Queen of the changelings was far from healthy. Even partly hidden from his sight by the long shadows the bright light was casting, he could see the ribs under the changeling’s carapace. She didn’t look good, malnourished and weak. The former terror of Equestria had curled up in a ball in the back of the cage. Her breath was shallow, her eyes were closed. What had happened to her? Was it the absence of emotions, that had left her in this condition? A spell? Torturing? Unlikely. He doubted they had tortured her, as ponies despised such practices. Where were the guards, that clearly were supposed to watch this harmful enemy of Equestria. The complete absence of ponies when they had entered the room baffled the man.

“So this is the infamous Queen of the changelings?” Wesker asked the alicorn, as if he didn’t know the obvious answer, his gaze focused on the Queen inside the cage. Twilight simply nodded, while the five mares joined them. Warily, Applejack and Rainbow Dash eyed the creature inside the cage. The faces of the other ponies were harder to read. On Twilight’s was a mix of curiosity and skepticism, Rarity seemed somewhat reserved, Fluttershy was frightened, but at the same time there was worry. Pinkie Pie had adapted a downright hilarious expression, making stupid faces at the half-reflecting surface of the glass.

“Looky, Looky, Queeny, Queeny!”

Not minding the mare’s antics, a quiet noise caught the man's attention. It was a sound that distantly reminded him of the hum some electronics would generate. He turned his head to locate the sound, only to find out it was emanating from the glass itself. Curiously, he eyed the pane. At first the glass seemed like any normal glass, but then the man noticed something off about the material. Barely visible pink bolts of magic were running up and down the transparent surface and caused a light electrical buzzing.

Lacking the knowledge to discern the purpose of the spell, he pointed his gloved hand at the glass and inquired,

“Is this some kind of enchantment, Twilight?”

“Indeed it is, Wesker. It’s some kind of shock spell, I presume… and an alarm,” she looked back into the cage, “I wonder if she is she asleep. For all we know, she might be watching us. That thought is somewhat creepy. What do you think?” Twilight queried.

However, before Wesker could formulate a response a voice behind them answered the question. It was a deep male voice, a voice the man remembered from somewhere. It was not the fondest emotions that were bubbling to the surface of his mind. Startled the timid pegasus Fluttershy hid behind her friend Applejack, as the rest of the group turned around.

“No she is not.”

It was prince Blueblood. Quietly, he had stepped out of the door to their left, which had been hidden from the group’s sight by a shelf, as he heard the voices of the new arrivals. However, the stallion didn’t wear his usual smug smile. No, a frown was plastered on his face. In fact if it wasn’t for the blond mane and the compass cutie mark on his flanks Wesker would have hardly recognized the stallion. He looked dreadful. Under his eyes were large bags, his blond mane was disheveled and a bit greasy.

For Blueblood, these past few weeks have been full of work, despair, and grief since his mother’s demise. But finally things seemed to look up for him. There they were, the ponies who had saved Equestria on several occasions and the human, whose knowledge in the natural sciences was unrivaled by any living pony on the planet - his last hope after so many disappointments. Certainly, they would find out what was the reason for the monster’s behaviour - the reason for his mother’s death. So, he could finally extinguish the flames of anguish burning inside his chest and get his revenge for the gruesome end his mother met.

“Good afternoon, Miss Sparkle,” Wesker noticed the obvious absence of the alicorn’s title, as Blueblood addressed the mare, and to his own surprise it “annoyed” him for the lack of a better word, “Mr. Wesker and of course the Elements of Harmony. Your presence is an unsuspected but welcome surprise. I didn’t expect you to arrive this early. I was told you would start your work tomorrow by the princess herself only a few hours ago.” he greeted them, his voice betraying his tiredness. With his hoof he swept a streak of hair out of his face. Then, he added a bit quieter, almost as if only to himself, “Or is it already morning? I tend to lose track of the time down here… But I didn’t think it was this bad.” 

“No,” Twilight chuckled nervously, obviously somewhat disturbed by the uncollected state of the prince, “You’re right. We are early. As Mr. Wesker, the girls, and I thought it would be beneficial if we had at least a vague idea of what we would be working with here. If you don’t mind the question… What is it then, if Chrysalis is not asleep?” 

“Diligence is an attribute that your predecessors sorely lacked. If this is a show of things to come, I think I shall like you working for me,” prince Blueblood replied, “Concerning your question, it started three or four days ago with this murderer suddenly losing consciousness. The mages the Academy sent theorized this was a hibernation of sorts induced by the lack of emotions to avoid starvation, but they had no solid proof for their claim. That was pretty much everything these cretins,” his voice was full of spite, ”could tell me. It is of little wonder, that I sent them back, after this poor performance. Almost a week had passed and they had no bucking clue,” he said while moving from pony to shake hooves, “That was when I decided to hire you as help.” 

Throughout this whole exchange the other ponies of the group remained strangely silent. Even the ever boastful Rainbow Dash had no gems of 'wisdom' to share, despite her obvious distaste for the noble and her usual rash behavior. The lavender mare must have ensured her friends would act with some level of tact regarding this situation. Overall the girls were rather friendly. To Wesker's surprise, they even appeared to be genuine when offering their condolences for the stallion's loss.

Finally, Blueblood came to Wesker and stretched out his fore hoof, looking up into the man’s face, who in turn looked back to the much smaller pony. Blueblood could have sworn he saw something red flicker behind the human’s shades, but the stallion couldn’t read the emotions on the alien face, as it was a mask of stone. The human didn’t extend his own hand though - he simply stared back. Blueblood was becoming rather uncomfortable, it felt as if he was staring into a never ending abyss, only for it to look back. As awkward seconds passed, the prince shuddered as an impatient frown began to spread across his muzzle.

“I’d rather not,” the man stated only loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Blueblood was aware that there had been bad blood between him and the scientist - even despite the human’s changed appearance he knew who stood before him and he had been hesitant when he called for the man’s help, considering their backstory. Hindsight is 20/20. But this creature was an invaluable asset in discovering the true causes of his mother’s death and so he had overcome his pride, assuming that this lowly commoner would comply to his wishes. He was a prince after all and as a symbol of the Equestrian diarchy, this man owed him respect, or so he thought. This infuriating behavior honestly surprised him.

“I see…” the prince muttered quietly, his tone becoming frosty, “And here I thought we could overcome our little “disagreement” in the wake of my mother’s demise. How foolish of me to believe that a monkey such as yourself would know any manners. This could’ve been your chance to redeem my good will after the humiliation you caused me just a few weeks ago. And don’t think I can’t remember, either, even despite your changed appearance, monkey. I do. You assaulted royalty! If It wasn’t for Aunt Celestia and Luna’s strange obsession with you, you too would rot in the dungeons, beside this monster!” he pointed at the glass cage, in a fit of rage, venting the emotional turmoil of the last few weeks. 

The human had the nerve to grin, baring his snow-white and surprisingly sharp teeth.

“Humiliation? Do I need to point out that you brought this upon yourself? What you did is considered a crime where I come from and I’m sure this is true for Equestria as well. What do you think would happen if Celestia rescinded her protection, which would allow you to face the consequences of your actions. You honestly think yourself 'just'? You idiocy knows no bounds, Blueblood. You truly think it is within your right to cast blame upon the victim for reacting to your misdeeds. As for the Princesses, its nothing as simple as obsession Blueblood, they value my council and talents. Did you know that she debated if she should allow your 'good' reputation to become stained by your misdeeds, given the numerous reporters who were present. What actually saved you in the end was what reparations she offered me in order to avoid a scandal.” he bluffed professionally, while the girls, except Twilight, who eyed the two grown males with a slightly horrified expression, exchanged confused glances,

“If it wasn’t for the death of an innocent and the princess’ explicit wish I wouldn’t have come,” Wesker answered in a surprisingly calm yet dangerous voice.“I’m not so quick to forgive, and you can’t bribe me with your sob story, Blueblood.” There was a barely audible edge to his voice now, radiating a kind of authority only the sun princess normally instilled into her subjects, “Don’t expect any sympathy from me,  but for the sake of professionalism, I strongly advise you to not bring this up again.”

It became very quiet in the room, the bewildered prince was left speechless. Blueblood was seething inwardly, lost in thought. To think that this monkey dared to speak to him in such a nonchalant and rude manner?!

“If you would like to apologize for your inappropriate behavior ask a guard for my room number” he added, “I fear we have to cut this visit short. What a shame... Let’s go, girls, I’ve seen enough for now.”

Wordlessly and a bit baffled the mares followed the man like sheep, hypnotized by his intimidating aura and probably the desire to escape from this infinitely awkward situation.