Quest to Zephyr Heights: A My Little Pony / BioShock Infinite Crossover

And then, the Princess showed a vision: a city, perched on top of the clouds. I asked her, 'Dear Princess, why do you show this to me? I'm not a strong pony. I'm not a righteous pony. I am not a religious pony.' And she told me the most remarkable thing: 'You're right, Prophet. But if true peace is within the hoof grasp of one such as you, how can anypony else not see it themselves?' ~ Queen Haven

With the door open, Prospect walked straight out, and nearly fell off the edge of the city. She flapped her wings to straighten herself out and watched as a floating section of the city slowly turned itself, the gold trimmed bridge extending and snapping into place. The rest of the nearby buildings were just as dynamic, adjusting themselves automatically as they floated into place. Large crates flew overhead, gliding on golden rails that weaved between the buildings.

The centerpiece of this newly attached island was a large statue of Haven, posing heroically, her cape flapping in the non-existent wind. Prospect made her way through town. Pegasus ponies were everywhere, talking, walking, eating at dineries.

She smiled to herself when she saw some pegasus yearlings playing with a fluffy Pomeranian with tiny wings. Then, her attention was drawn further up the road, where a crowd of pegasi had congested. The crowd cheered and watched as a parade floated past.

"After the victory at Yakyakistan, the spirit of the Princess presented herself to Queen Haven and showed her a vision of the future," a voice blared from the parade floats, "And so our great Prophet led her people up to the great city in the skies. But it was the miracle child, the foal, that is the future of our kind. For the Prophet has said that she in the tower will lead the world below in the great peace."

When the floats had turned out of sight, the armored guard stepped aside and lowered the barrier at the edge as the bridge extended itself to the next island. "All clear, good luck at the raffle folks!" He tipped his helmet to the passing ponies.

Among them was Prospect, doing her best not to draw attention. A lot of the pegasi seemed to be heading in the same direction, though it was easy to find out why. Posters and signs were posted at every street corner, advertising that day's event.

Prospect read a nearby poster, "Zephyr Heights Fair and Raffle, huh."

Eventually, she turned another corner to be met with the sight of a giant bronze statue of a pegasus. Dappled rays of sunlight shone from behind the statue's head, her hooves outstretched in welcome. Prospect looked over the statue, it was a match for the location where the mare was supposedly located.

"Telegram, Ms. Cover!" Prospect looked down to see a little, gray pegasus colt with a cap holding out a folded letter.

She motioned to herself, "For me?"

"Yes siree Ms. Cover!" She took the telegram as the colt gave a hearty salute and galloped off.

She read the note aloud, "STOP Cover. Do not alert Haven to your presence STOP. Whatever you do, do not pick #77 STOP. Lutece," she wrinkled her snout in confusion, "What the?"

She turned her head as cheering erupted down the street, which signs indicated was the direction of the fair. Outside the fair there was an elaborate display with posters and a pony barker yapping to a group of observing ponies.

The pegasus barker gave an animated spiel as two more pegasi in dragon costumes playfully acted out, "What if I told you there was a way a pony could shoot electricity from their hooves? What if I told you that you could give yourself the ability of flight? Well, my curious friends, these are not just mere questions! Thanks to dragon fire and modern pegasus science, you too can bring back a little magic with the new Magic Distilliate from FlimFlam Co! Brought to you personally by Mr. Browsy Gold himself, the Magic Distilliate is perfectly capable of replicating magic with none of the risk!"

Prospect scoffed at the barker, walking right past the presentation and into the fair, "Magic? Phphh, sure..."

The fairgrounds were full of ponies, some were buying goods and others were playing games at the booths scattered around.

One barker pony waved by a display with rumbling carts, "From FlimFlam Co, it's the automated self-driving carriage 5000!"

"Haydogs!" yelled out another vendor, "Get your haydogs here!"

"Come on over and test your skill!" another pony exclaimed by a game booth, "See if your pegasi reflexes are fast enough to catch the Vox Demissa!"

One display had a large, metallic horse standing onstage that tried to hide its head behind its metal wings, "Come on down and see the amazing Alimatic!" The pegasus presenter shouted out, "Part pony, part machine, she's a fine example of our fair city's ingenuity!"

Finally, Prospect had reached the end of the fairgrounds to the exit. Unfortunately, the exit was blocked off by a gate guarded by a metallic orb on a mechanical arm. The orb had two glowing eyes and was styled to look like a parasprite.

"Sorry bub." the automatic parasprite chirped in a mechanical voice, "the raffle is all sold out. Entrance is reserved for dignitaries and very important ponies alone."

"I'm guessing that doesn't mean me," Prospect answered sarcastically.

"Sorry," the auto-sprite winked a glowing eye, "That's not my problem."

A new voice spoke up nearby, "Perhaps I could be of service?"

Prospect turned to see a pink pegasus with a red mane in a nearby tent.

"You wanna get into the lottery? Well, with this Possession Distilliate, you can turn the tables on that mechanical moron. If you want, just say the word."

"I guess I'll take it," Prospect answered as she took the bottle from the pegasus. She popped the cork off the bottle and downed the swirling green substance inside.

The bottle dropped as it suddenly became hard for Prospect to think. Her vision blurred as a translucent green pegasus filly swirled into existence. The spirit giggled as it fluttered around Prospect, eventually flying straight into her chest.

She gasped as everything snapped back into focus, "What the hay was that?"

"Don't worry, its free," the pegasus vendor smirked, "Just flap your wings at that metallic numbskull and the distillate will do the rest!"

Prospect didn't know if she could trust the vendor, but she still walked up the auto-sprite anyways. She began to concentrate and flap her wings. They began to faintly glow green and misty beams of light swirled into the robot. The auto-sprit jolted upright in response and beckoned to Prospect. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Purveyor Hearthooves," the robot happily said, "Your spot at the raffle awaits. Don't know why I didn't recognize you before. Always good to have a gentlemare of your caliber at our fine fairgrounds!" The orb bowed as the gate swung aside.

Prospect walked past the automaton and right into two cyan unicorns waiting by the gate. They both stepped forward.

"Heads?" Asked the unicorn stallion, wearing a sandwich board around his neck.

"Or tails?" Asked his female associate.

"Come on," Prospect said impatiently, "I need to get through."

The male unicorn flipped a bit with his hoof, "Heads?"

"Or tails?" The female unicorn continued.

Prospect sighed, "Fine, uh tails."

The male unicorn flipped the bit. It came up as tails. "Told you," he said to his female companion with a self-satisfied expression.

"Hmm," the unicorn turned and drew another tally on the board, twelve for tails, zero for heads.

The male unicorn sighed, "I never find that as satisfying as I'd imagined."

"Chin up," the female unicorn replied, "There's always next time." They both turned away from Prospect, who continued forward.

"I suppose there is."

Prospect continued along to the raffle park. The streets around here were mostly empty except for a few armored pegasi guards standing around and talking about their new "back wheel". Cheering could be heard in the distance, as she got closer to the park.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. In the middle of street was a posted sign, like some of the many others from earlier. But on it was a familiar sight. "Beware the mark of the false prophet!" The sign had a picture of a pony's flank, with the cutie mark of the initials AD.

"What in the?" Prospect looked down to her own flank. The "false mark" was an exact match for her own cutie mark. Prospect had no idea how nopony else had noticed it until now, but now, she hid the mark with her wings. A bit on edge, Prospect entered the park, where a crowd of over a hundred pegasi had gathered for the raffle and were all engaged in a raucous chorus of a song.

The crowd cheered as they finished the song, stamping their hooves as the pegasus onstage motioned to the crowd. Browsy Gold, a gray-coated stallion with a slick-backed mane, tiny mustache, and an oversized top hat, heartily laughed, "Splendid! All you pegasi could give a siren a run for her money! And now, let the raffle commence!"

"Hey miss!" A hoof tapped Prospect's shoulder, who jumped. She turned to see a little lime-green filly holding a basket full of brown balls, "Wouldn't you like a ball?"

"Sorry," Prospect answered, "no sale."

The pegasus filly giggled, "Don't be silly! There's never a charge for the raffle. You been sleeping under a rock?"

Prospect recanted her statement and picked a ball. She turned it over in her hoof, reading the number written on it aloud, "Seventy-seven."

The filly flapped her wings excitedly, "Seventy-seven? That's a lucky number! I'll be rooting for you!"

The filly skipped away into the audience as the pegasus onstage spoke up to the cheering audience again. "Bring me the bowl!" Gold announced, as a pink filly trotted onstage holding a large bowl. A large portion of the audience awed at the blushing filly as Browsy Gold made an expression of adoration, "Is that not the cutest pegasi filly in all of Zephyr Heights?"

With a flourish, he stuck a hoof into the bowl and pulled out a slip of paper. "Alright then! The winner is," he paused to read the paper, "Lucky ball seventy-seven!"

The audience stamped their hooves as Gold giddily laughed, "Come on up seventy-seven and claim your prize!"

"Over here! She's over here!" The lime-green filly who gave her ball called out, bouncing up and down.

Ponies parted as they let Prospect walk up to the stage. She gripped the ball with her hoof, what was the prize?

"First prize little lady!" Gold announced, "Come and take the first throw!"

The crowd began to chant. "First throw! First throw! First throw!"

Gold began to wave his hooves and mockingly sing as the curtains behind him parted. A plywood set rolled forward, displaying crude depictions of unicorns. In the middle there was two ponies tied up next to each other. A purple unicorn with a black ball stuck to her horn, and an orange pegasus. They both struggled in their bindings staring out with wide-eyed horror to the jeering crowd of pegasi.

The couple onstage met Prospect's gaze.

"Please...please don't do this!" The unicorn cried.

"It was me. It was all me!" The pegasus stammered with fear, "Please, please! No... Please, what are you doing?"

"Come on," Gold motioned to Prospect, who was standing still in place, "are you gonna throw it? Or is a little horn too much for you?"

"Let her go, please!" The orange pegasus screamed, "I'm the one you want!"

Gold laughed, "Time's a wasting! Give it a throw."

Prospect made her decision. She furrowed her brow and recoiled her hoof to throw the ball, "I'll give you something you son of a-"

Suddenly, a hoof grabbed her extended limb, aimed right at Browsy Gold's head. "It's her!" the guard holding her yelled, "The false prophet!"

Prospect turned her head, realizing that in her anger at the pompous bigot onstage, she had unfurled her wings, revealing her cutie mark to the entire crowd of pegasi.

"Now, where'd you get that brand little mare?" Gold chuckled leaning down into Prospect's face, "Don't you know that makes you the back-stabbing lying false prophet?" He stood back up, raising his voice, "And we ain't letting no false prophet into our city, are we?" The angered crowed responded with jeers and boos at Prospect.

Multiple silver-armored guards approached her, one having a sharp saw-like fan extending from the back of his armor.

Browsy Gold laughed, "Show her what we got planned, boys!"