//------------------------------// // The Cauldron // Story: BioShock: Infinite- A Steel Embrace // by djingledjango //------------------------------// Booker stepped back through the tear from Rapture into Zecora's hut with a loud sigh. He looked at Elizabeth, Celestia, Luna, Discord, Zecora, Applejack, Rarity and the little sister. and held up a sheet of paper. "I couldn't find the plasmid. But I did get a list of it's chemical makeup...Figured it had to count for something." He looked at the list and cleared his throat before looking at the others, including Zecora, who was still a bit dumbfounded by the whole scenario they were in. "Okay...looks like the first part is ADAM. It's in the Little Sister's blood." Booker said, raising an eyebrow at Elizabeth, who shielded the ADAM-filled child protectively. "You mean, cut her open and withdraw blood from her?" Elizabeth asked, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah. She's got ADAM in her blood. Look, you know Little Sisters can't die unless that sea slug is ripped from their guts." Booker said with no regard to how the Little Sister present at their meeting felt. The little girl gasped and grabbed onto Elizabeth's skirt. "See? You're scaring her." Elizabeth said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Allow me to assist in this situation." Zecora interjected. "A word from me, and the child's worries will be done." Booker raised an eyebrow at Zecora who looked at him expectantly. He sighed before stepping aside for the Zebra to approach the Little Sister. "Hello, little sweetheart. What is your name?" Zecora asked. "My name is Zecora. I believe you'll find me quite tame." "Why does she speak in rhyme all the time?" Booker asked Applejack quietly, who shrugged at him. "No one really knows." Applejack whispered back. "It's just somethin' she does." "My name is...Jenny." The little sister said, her distorted voice seemingly having no effect on Zecora. "Jenny...A beautiful name, it's true." Zecora said comfortingly. "Now if you'll listen for a moment, I'll tell you what we'll do." "What'll we do?" Jenny asked, not looking as afraid anymore and gaining a look of curiosity. Zecora smiled warmly. "One moment." She said before moving toward Booker and Elizabeth. "What?" Booker asked. "What you told me is true, a cut will heal on her arm?" Zecora said quietly. "I will not do this child any permanent harm." "Yes, yes it's true." Booker said, raising an eyebrow. "She'll be fine." Elizabeth said with a nod and a smile. "Little Sisters can survive explosions. I would still approach it with caution, though. She is a little girl." Zecora's eyes widened for a moment before she nodded and returned to Jenny. "So Jenny, what we'll do is a simple trick." Zecora said. "We'll give your arm a small cut. It won't hurt. Just a nick." "Why do you want to cut me?" Jenny asked, appearing scared again at the prospect of having her arm cut into. "We are doing it to assist your friend, Mr. Bubbles, because some friends of ours are in some deep, deep trouble." Zecora continued. "Mr. Bubbles? You know Mr. Bubbles?" Asked Jenny brightening up and receiving a nod from Zecora. "And I can help him?" "Yes, indeed you surely can, little one." Zecora answered happily. "And after you do, with Mr. Bubbles you may continue to have fun." "Well, what are we waiting for?" Jenny asked. "I wanna help Mr. B!" "That's a good girl, Jenny." Elizabeth said, removing a small knife from her pocket and moving it over the small flame of Incinerate that Booker had produced for her to sterilize it. After letting it cool, Elizabeth moved closer to Jenny. "Now this will hurt for only a second or two, okay?" "Okay." Jenny said trustfully, looking at Elizabeth with her glowing eyes. Elizabeth smiled at her before cutting into the flesh of the girls forearm, making her wince and her eyes fill up with tears. "Booker, come on! Bring a cup!" Elizabeth cried, prompting Booker to grab a small cup from a shelf and hold it underneath the wound. Jenny began to cry quietly as Elizabeth lightly squeezed her arm, causing her blood to seep from the wound. "Oh, Jenny it's okay! We're almost done now." Elizabeth said as she applied pressure to the wound as it healed. Within moments, the wound was healed and the cup was half full. "There. We're all done, baby girl." Jenny looked up at Elizabeth and smiled at her, tears still in her eyes. "A very brave girl were you." Zecora added happily. "Very brave and quite strong, too." Jenny laughed and clapped for a moment. "You're funny!" Jenny exclaimed happily. Zecora chuckled happily and continued to talk to Jenny, putting in every effort to entertain the Little Sister. Booker silently pulled Elizabeth to the side as the ponies and zebra gathered around to adore the girl. "What are we doing?" Booker whispered to her. "What do you mean?" Elizabeth replied. "Why are we getting so involved in this war? Why don't we just find the Big Daddy, and get it back to Rapture and let these...ponies handle this themselves?" Booker said, making Elizabeth frown at him. "What will they do without us?" Elizabeth asked him. "Are we supposed to just let them get wiped out?" "We don't know that they will." Booker replied. "They may get destroyed...they might not. It's not our problem." "I can't believe you're saying this." Elizabeth said. "We're staying until this is all resolved." "You just expect me to go along?" Booker asked her, making Elizabeth feel even more outraged. "If I wanna go back, you'd better damn well take me back. I've got rights." "And they count for what here?" Elizabeth asked. "You'll go back when I go back. End of discussion." "What else is on the potion list?" Zecora asked suddenly, immediately drawing the duo's attention. "Because I would very much like to get this situation fixed." "It's called a plasmid." Booker replied before looking at the list. "And next we need...Scopolamine." Booker looked at Elizabeth and raised an eyebrow, making Elizabeth roll her eyes. "Zecora, do you have Scopolia plants?" Elizabetha asked. "Scopolia plants are in my possession, my friend." Zecora said, moving toward a large assortment of jars. "And I believe I'd have to cut the leaf end." "That's right." Elizabeth said with a respectful smile and a nod. "That's where the Scopolamine is." "What is that stuff?" Applejack asked. "I was just wondering the same thing." Rarity said. "It's so interesting." "Scopolamine is a calming herb that helps stomach problems, but it is also used to pacify stressed patients. I suppose that it's going to work to pacify the Big Daddy." Elizabeth explained. "Oh, perfect! A science lesson!" Discord said sarcastically. "Discord!" Celestia scolded the Draconequus. He smirked at her and gave her a small wink, prompting the princess to roll her eyes and give her attention back to the zebra mixing the potion. A shuffling came from the front of Zecora's hut, gaining the attention of everyone present. Through the doorway came Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, both noticeably frightened. Pinkie Pie embraced Applejack while Fluttershy wrapped Rarity in her fore hooves. "We just came from the hospital." Pinkie Pie said before noticing that Applejack's leg seemed to be completely fine. "Applejack, your leg..." "Oh, Princess Celestia fixed me up, sugarcube." Applejack said before looking away for a moment. "She fixed me up because Ah'm going to fight the changelings." "Applejack, you can't!" Pinkie Pie cried, her eyes widening in worry. "Pinkie Pie...They...They have..." Applejack, taking a moment to compose herself, looked at Pinkie with determination driven by worry and sorrow. "They have Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie and Fluttershy gasped. "What happened?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes filling with tears. Applejack looked at her and tried to answer, but she was unable to hold her tears back any longer. Applejack quickly walked out of Zecora's hut. The farm pony noticed through her tears the darkening sky becoming ever more prevalent over the daylight. She barely registered Princess Luna's soothing voice explaining to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie that the probability that Rainbow was alive was quite low. Fluttershy's loud sob overtook all other voices as Princess Celestia attempted to imbue a bit of hope into them. The farm mare looked up into the sky as she sat down on a large rock...contemplating the kiss Rainbow Dash had shared with her before they last parted ways. So deep in thought she was, that she didn't notice the footsteps approaching her from behind. Applejack watched the woman, Elizabeth she believed, sit down next to her. Applejack quickly wiped away her tears and tried to look as composed as possible, which was a futile effort. "Hi." She said. "I don't think we've really been introduced. My name is Elizabeth." "Howdy, Elizabeth." Applejack said with a small smile. "I'm Applejack. It's good to meet you." "It's good to meet you." Elizabeth replied with a sweet smile. They sat there for what seemed like ten minutes. Elizabeth, now completely certain that Applejack wasn't going to say anything, decided to speak up first. "So...are you okay?" "Oh...Heh heh...Ah'm sorry about that back there." Applejack said. "Ah guess Ah kinda freaked out." "Well, I assumed that Rainbow Dash is your friend. Of course you'd be concerned." Elizabeth said with a smile. "I just wanted to-" "Know why Ah'm reactin' so strongly to it." Applejack said, looking at Elizabeth with a raised eyebrow. Elizabeth, a bit taken aback by the farm mare's wit, nodded lightly. "How did you know?" "Ah may talk like a hick, sugarcube, but Ah'm often underestimated in the intelligence department." Applejack said with a sigh. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Elizabeth said. "I'm sorry if I was prying." "Oh, Ah don't care all that much." Applejack replied. "Before me and Rainbow last parted ways...She, uh...Well, she kissed me." "She kissed you..." "As if she was never gonna see me again." Applejack said, worry becoming more and more prominent in her tone as she went on. "Ah had no idea she had those feelings for me." "I see..." "And...Ah think Ah...Ah think Ah might..." Applejack said, looking toward the ground with a large blush on her face. "You think you might feel the same way." Elizabeth said, a small smile appearing on her face. Applejack, now knowing the Elizabeth was on the same wavelength as her, felt tears in her eyes as she looked toward the woman. Applejack sighed heavily and looked toward the ground once more. "...Yeah..." Applejack said. "It's gotten to the point...that if she really is...you know...Ah don't know what Ah'll do..." Applejack's voice caught in her throat as her tears began to flow. "Ah don't know if I could take it..." Elizabeth watched Applejack with sympathy as she struggled to hold her crying back, but failed as she silently sobbed. "You find her." Elizabeth said with a smile. "What?" Applejack asked quietly, her voice sounding scared, very much unlike her. "If there's even a chance that Rainbow Dash is out there...Go out there knowing that Rainbow Dash is alright...and she will be." Applejack smiled appreciatively at Elizabeth and wiped her tears away. "That's awfully sweet of you to say, sugarcube." Applejack said. "But how do you know?" "I have my ways." Elizabeth said with a warm smile. "Now what do you say we go back in there and see what we can do to help?" Applejack looked at her and nodded with a newfound, confident smile before standing to go back into the hut. "Oh, uh...uh wait...Wait a second." Applejack said, stopping for a moment. She looked at Elizabeth with an adorably embarrassed look on her face. "Don't...don't tell anyone...Please." Elizabeth smiled and giggled slightly. "Not a word." She replied. _____ Fluttershy's eyes drifted around the interior of Zecora's hut. Even though it was already well established that Zecora was a friend, Fluttershy never did like to go into the zebra's hut. She looked to Zecora, speaking to Princesses Celestia and Luna, who were assisting in any way they could with the plasmid. Jenny watched in wonder as the greenish liquid stirred in the cauldron, her bright eyes reflecting the dim light coming from the liquid. "It's...so horrible. What happened to Twilight..." Fluttershy said quietly, her mind still quite distressed over all of the awful circumstances she was now aware of. "And she's definitely going to be alright?" Pinkie Pie asked. Rarity nodded and smiled tiredly. "Thankfully, we got her just in time." Rarity said before looking toward the ground sadly. "However, as you know, the situation with Rainbow Dash is significantly...less hopeful." "Is there even a chance...that she's alive?" Pinkie Pie asked, her mane once again fallen completely straight over her face. "Her vital energy...when she was taken it was extremely faint, but it was still present nonetheless." Princess Luna explained. "That is to say...She may yet live." "Then we need to go save her now!" Pinkie Pie cried out. "We can't...At least not yet." Princess Celestia said. "Do you remember that metal thing?" Discord asked them, to which they nodded. "Well, we're going to make him work for us." "Wait...that thing...was so powerful. How..." Fluttershy said, sounding very unsure. "Watch this." Booker said, holding his hand up and sending jolts of electricity over his hand. Then, as quickly as the electricity appeared, it disappeared. He snapped and a bright flame appeared at the tips of his fingers. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were mesmerized by this sudden display of colors before them, especially since neither of them knew what Booker could do. "These are called plasmids. They give the user...special powers." "Ooh, ooh! Can you freeze things?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. Booker nodded. "What about launching things in the air?" Another nod. "Can you control minds?" Yet another nod. "Can you move things around?" Another nod, accompanied by a distinctly annoyed look. "Can you summon a swarm of bugs to attack your enemy and distract them while causing minor damage over time so that you can get in close and deliver the final fatal hit with some sort of wrench or other melee doohickey?" Pinkie asked, getting more and more excited as her question continued. Booker, surprised by how specific Pinkie was being, nodded slowly. "Uhm...Yeah." Booker replied before leaning toward Rarity. "Is she psychic or something?" "Ha, well...um..." Rarity replied, seemingly attempting to come up with an explanation before finally giving up. "We really don't know." "We're off topic." Booker continued. "Back where Elizabeth and I came from, there was a plasmid being developed by a scientist named Yi Suchong. It was designed to control a Big Daddy." Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nodded. "Huh...so that's what it's called." Fluttershy said. "Fitting, I guess." "If we can control the Big Daddy, we can use him to help us destroy the Changelings!" Discord spouted happily, appearing above Booker, startling him. The private eye shouted as he jumped back and glared up at discord. "Careful, friend. That's a good way to get a face full of fire." Booker said, holding up a hand and creating a ball of fire that levitated before his fingers. Discord giggled. "Oh, what an adorable puppy you have there!" The draconequus said, clasping his hands together adorably. "Puppy?" Booker said before looking at his hand and realizing that Discord had turned his fireball into a beagle puppy that he was now holding in his hand. The man's eyes widened as he put the puppy on the ground. It was almost immediately swept up by Fluttershy, who snuggled her face into it's muzzle. It licked her happily. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Dewitt!...Oh...May I call you Mr. Dewitt?" Fluttershy said adorably, causing Booker to feel his internal constitution begin to crack. He almost cracked a smile. "Uh...sure. That's fine." Booker said. "Anyways, that's the plan we're using...Don't know how well it's gonna work, but I figure it's the best chance for me and Elizabeth to get the big lug back to our world...Speaking of which, where did Elizabeth go?" "She went outside to check on Applejack." Fluttershy said. "For some reason the situation...with Rainbow Dash...is affecting her more than it is the rest of us..." "If we can get that Big Daddy to help us, we've got a better chance of finding her. That's for sure." Booker said to Fluttershy. "Do you know where the Big Daddy is?" Pinkie Pie asked. "The royal guard are making regular sweeps over the forest. They are delivering reports on the creature's location ever half hour." Princess Luna said. "The last report before they lost track of it stated that it was moving through the forest in odd directions...destroying everything around it and searching through the debris. They...described it as breaking through thick trees with a swipe of its arm and breaking through stone as if it were soft clay." "That sounds like a Big Daddy, alright." Booker said. "The...plasmid you have requested is finished." Zecora said to Booker as she came closer to him, handing him a vial with bright green liquid in it. "One sip should do the trick. Be careful with this." Booker took the vial and looked at it, raising an eyebrow of uncertainty. "Don't you have any syringes?" "Syringes?" Zecora asked, tilting her head. "Never mind." Booker said. "Well, they did used to make these drinkable..." He cautiously raised the vial toward his lips. He knew what it was like taking a new plasmid. It would be a complete reshuffle of his genetic code like all the others...and it would not be fun. The cool glass came ever closer to Booker's lips. "Remember, sir, just a sip." Zecora said, making Booker jump slightly. "I know not how you will react to it." "Gee, thanks for the advice." Booker said, furrowing his eyebrows for a moment before bringing it to his mouth. The chemical makeup of this plasmid was largely unknown to him, and judging by how it was mixed together in a cauldron, there were most likely imbalances in the make up of it. For all the private eye knew, it was lethal. "How is it coming?" Elizabeth asked as she and Applejack walked back into the hut, causing Booker to jump again, still having not taken a sip of the Plasmid. He looked over at them and sighed heavily. "Got the Plasmid right here." Booker said, holding the vial up. "Oh, well good." Elizabeth said before crossing her arms. "Then go ahead and drink it." "I was gonna before you interrupted me." Booker replied with annoyance before moving his eyes back to the vial. "Well...Here we go." He took a sip from the vial and handed it to Discord. A slight tingling sensation rose from within him, becoming more and more present as seconds went by and eventually becoming a distinct burn. Booker's skin became pale and a thin layer of sweat began to form on his skin. "Oooh, boy. Here we go." Booker said, putting a hand on his stomach and bracing himself on a table. "What are you feeling?" Elizabeth said, seemingly concerned by Booker's appearance. "It feels like...ugh..." Booker said, clenching his teeth. "It feels like fire spreading from my stomach outwards." Suddenly, Booker pitched forward, clenching his stomach hard. He fell onto his backside and breathed deeply and frequently, holding back cries of pain. There was fire within is very being. As if his body was killing itself from within. "We must help him!" Zecora said. "I believe his life is becoming dim!" "No, no it's normal." Elizabeth said putting up a hand. "His entire genetic code is reshuffling itself. It has to do it for the Plasmid to take effect." "You sure as hell don't sound concerned at all." Booker groaned, seemingly more relieved. He still sweated bullets and his face was pale as ice, but it was as if he was conquering the pain. "I don't even know if this will work." "Well, you're not dead." Elizabeth said with a small smile. "That's a good thing." Booker shakily stood and exhaled heavily. "I need some water." Booker said curtly and with a distinct rasp, seemingly recovered. "You got it!" Discord said, disappearing suddenly and reappearing immediately with a relatively large glass of water. Booker took it and nodded before bringing it to his lips to take a sip. He stopped and glared at Discord warily. "Where'd this come from?" He nearly demanded. "What?" Discord said, cocking his head. "Why, good sir, whatever could you mean?" "I know you like to pull pranks you wily little-" "Mr. Dewitt." Princess Celestia said to the human who was obviously in no mood to play games. "I assure you that if there are any...adverse effects, Discord will be punished accordingly." Celestia shot Discord a look that prompted the draconequus to let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I'm shaking in my fur-slash-scales-slash-feathers." He replied before patting the princess on the head lightly. Booker sighed heavily and took a sip of the water. A moment passed before his eyes widened slightly. "This...this is some good water." Booker mused before taking a swig from the glass. "I got it from the mountains of Canterlot." Discord said as his eyebrow furrowed, a large grin appearing on his face. "The freshest of the fresh." Booker, now feeling like a bit of a heel, cleared his throat. "Oh, well...Thanks." "Anytime." Discord said, the tone of his voice disturbingly happy and benevolent. "How do you feel?" Applejack asked Booker, who looked at her and sighed before taking another gulp of water. "Wonderful." Booker replied. "Now all I need is a shot of whiskey and I'll jump through a hoop for you." "Whiskey, huh?" Applejack said. "I'm partial myself. How much can you take?" Booker, upon looking into Applejack's large green eyes, saw a glint of fiery competition. "Enough." Booker said. "Why? You wanna see if you can take me?" "If'n you think you're tough enough." "A drinking contest...with a talking pony wearing a cowboy hat..." Booker said, seemingly in deep thought for a moment before shaking his head slightly and chuckling. "This shit is getting to be too much." "So...what is the next step of the plan?" Elizabeth enquired. Booker drank the rest of the water from the glass and looked at the two princesses as a green, flesh-like globule came from within one of several large green blisters on his hand. "We find him." _____ Booker, Elizabeth and Applejack walked through the forest on the ground as the princesses and Discord kept watch from above. Accompanying them through the skies was a platoon of soldiers, ready for combat. "We'd better hope this works." Booker said. "If we find that Big Daddy and this doesn't end up doing anything. The vast majority of everyone involved with this will be screwed." "Why're you so cynical?" Applejack asked Booker, who sighed and turned back to keep an eye out for the hulking giant built of metal. Applejack was very confused by Booker's refusal to speak, but shrugged it off, deciding to continue to watch for the monster. Just the thought of facing the Big Daddy again sent nervous chills down Applejack's spine. When she last encountered it, she felt the pure power of the thing in the very steps it took. Her thoughts drifted as they walked along the forest floor. They drifted to her friends, reminding her of Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who had elected to stay with Zecora to watch over Jenny, who was oblivious to the dire situation they were in. Her thoughts drifted to her family, reminding her that she had to get back to them, whatever it took...which reminded her of why she was out in the Everfree Forest to begin with. Rainbow Dash. Applejack was always known as a pony that, once she had set her mind to something, she'd see it through to the end, no matter what it took. But added to her regular sense of stick-to-itiveness was something more in this situation. Something more that compelled her beyond her normal rationale of just trying until she got it done. She had to save Rainbow because of a promise she had made her. A promise not made in words, but one made by a physical gesture. That wonderful, completely unexpected kiss was a promise that Rainbow Dash had made to Applejack that with her, Applejack may find something much more wonderful and fulfilling than friendship. The odds were that Applejack was reading entirely too much into the kiss. It could have been just a last minute gesture of Rainbow's probable long-standing attraction. It could have been an action born of desperation. But there was that urgency in Rainbow's kiss that Applejack felt. That need for Applejack to know the truth about how the cyan pegasus truly felt about her. "Applejack?" Elizabeth asked quietly, snapping the farm pony out of her thought. "Are you alright?" "Yeah...Yeah, Ah'm fine, Elizabeth." Applejack said. "Just...thinkin'." The quiet hoof falls of a royal guard fell behind the three of them, prompting them to turn around to face him. "The creature has been spotted half a mile west from your current position." He said. "Thank you. Tell the princesses to hold the troops back. We need to do with quietly." Booker said. The guard nodded before taking to the skies once more. "I understand why you'd want to do it quietly but I'm just curious, why specifically?" Elizabeth asked. "I overheard some of the higher-ups in the lab talking about how it won't work if the Big Daddy is enraged. And since they're going to be giving it to police, they need to be able to use it at all times." Booker said as they began to move in the direction of the Big Daddy. The distance they traveled didn't seem at all like half a mile, rather it seemed to be much more than that. But each of the three chalked it up to the anticipation of the moment.. Approaching from behind a thicket, they observed the Big Daddy lifting a boulder that was at least half his size. He grunted quizzically before roaring with anger. "Here we go..." Booker said quietly, the green globule appearing once more in his hand. "Gotta aim it just right..." The cocked his arm back and threw the globule, missing the Big Daddy just as it turned around from the boulder, the globule barely escaping it's sight. Booker sighed with relief. "Smooth." Applejack said with an amused smile. "You wanna try this?" Booker asked her, and upon receiving no answer, smirked before cocking his arm back once more. He threw the globule and it hit directly on the back of the Big Daddy's helmet, making it stop in it's tracks. Booker, Elizabeth, Applejack, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Discord and the troops all waited in stunned nervous silence. They all knew that if the plasmid did not work, that the fight of their lives would be upon them. The Big Daddy turned around and stood in place for a moment, it's portholes now noticeably glowing green instead of yellow. Booker stood slowly and walked until he came into direct line of sight with the Big Daddy. It calmly approached him, it's footsteps making the ground shake, and stood before him, apparently awaiting any command. "It's done!" Booker called. "You all can come down now." Elizabeth and Applejack emerged from the thicket while the princesses, Discord and the troops descended from the skies. "Can you understand me?" Booker asked the Big Daddy. It let out a long moan, the loud noise surprising the vast majority of the ponies there. "Do you remember where you last saw your little sister?" The Big Daddy let out another, shorter moan. "Take me there." Booker said simply. The Big Daddy turned and began to tromp toward wherever it was leading them. The entire group followed, a steady march into the unknown, lead by a nigh impenetrable metal giant. "You may want to assemble all of the troops, sister." Luna said. "Where we're going...it could be right into the Changeling hive. These few will not last long." Celestia nodded before turning to one of her chief guards, who had overheard everything. He nodded and left to muster the forces of Equestria. The journey now underway had to be taken on foot, due to the heavy canopy of trees overhead. "Mr. Dewitt." Celestia said, prompting Booker to turn to her. "A word, if you would." Booker nodded. "Sure." He said as he began to walk next to her. "I once sent my star pupil to a town to prepare a festival we ponies of Equestria celebrate every summer. She disliked that town and disliked almost every new pony she met. She wanted nothing more than to return to Canterlot and resume her studies. I urged her to try to make new friends and enjoy herself. To get involved with the town and the ponies that lived there. She did and ended up making five new best friends in that time she was there. She loved her friends so much that she didn't want to leave, so I permitted her to stay there in that town. Now, thanks to those friends, Equestria still exists, having been saved by them many times. Thanks to those friends...she is now a princess. Royalty of these lands." Celestia said to the human, who listened to every word. "That's a nice story, your highness." Booker replied. "But what does it have to do with me? What's your point?" "My point, Mr. Dewitt, is that sometimes, getting involved with things you'd prefer not to can lead to something beautiful." Booker stopped in his tracks, stunned and watched Princess Celestia as she moved forwards with the ever growing group of ponies marching to what very well could have been their doom. She never once looked back at him.