Booker snorted as he awoke, rubbing at his face as he tiredly sat up on the bench. He blearily took into account just where he was- but not before his head struck the overhead compartment above the seat. Wincing in pain, he realized it was dark outside the windows of the train car, a dark navy enveloping the landscape as pristine white stars dotted the skies.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AFJ5mBbkz
"Ow! Damn it..." he grumbled, sitting up slowly this time as he rubbed his head.
As he did so, he realized that a certain little girl was missing from his immediate reach.
"Anna?!" he cried shooting up.
His heart raced as he was immediately silenced by the purple hybrid, her horn aglow as a book rested between her hooves, a pair of red, wire-framed glasses perched on her muzzle.
"Trouble sleeping, Mr. DeWitt?" Twilight asked, turning the page.
The car jumped, forcing the occupants to bounce a bit. Not that they noticed, all of them were asleep, save Twilight and himself.
"Where's Anna?" he asked, straight to the point.
Twilight nodded over her shoulder, towards the back of the car. Booker's head swiveled to the left, and found Anna dozing peacefully, sandwiched between the yellow pegasus and the purpleand green reptile. The former of which embracing his daughter with her wings, while Spike's head lay in Anna's lap, small as it was.
'How did she get over there?' he wondered.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kVRktJa9B
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNYPmX67w2
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7M3lsUWkw
"So, tell me about yourself." Twilight said, another page turning.
"Heh, don't see why I should." Booker replied, reclining in his seat.
Twilight was nonplussed by his bluntness, and instead continued reading.
"I can tell you about me, then you can tell me about you, if you'd like."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbZYZsZ00B
"OCD, aren't you?"
The hybrid rolled her eyes as she sighed, the book closing.
"Why are you so bitter, Mr. DeWitt?" she asked simply.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX06FvunZR
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OinKzRCkX
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuGJaGJNu7
"Figured someone in your position would be."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQIXel7nCe
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPdDpWz7HR
"What makes you say that?" she asked, sounding more like the yellow one.
"Well you're a princess, aren't you? You must have stallions knockin' down your door."
Her face grew redder.
"Or, y'know, giant lizards, whatever floats your boat." Booker said, nodding to Spike.
"Now wait just a minute!" she shouted.
Rainbow groaned in distress, eliciting another round of sleepy groans from the rest of the group.
The princess shrank, and realized her error, a sheepish smile splitting her muzzle.
Booker cocked an eyebrow, confused at her behavior, shooting another glance to the sleeping, gecko-like creature beside Anna.
"That's why you keep him around, isn't it? As a consort?"
Twilight took a deep breath, her chest puffing out as she calmed herself.
"Yes, I love Spike," the princess said "but it's familial love, like with you and..."
"Anna." Booker said, filling the silence.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7H8CO0iT0
"Like you and Anna."
He nodded in understanding, taking a moment to rub his jaw as he met Twilight's gaze.
"Besides," she continued, after a short pause "I'm not much of a princess, I was just recently coronated- this was one of my first official duties as royalty."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgRwQjz4vU
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTw5TlCkoyd
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiKpBP5GOZ
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4xLsKsnNu
"What gave you that idea?"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDNiH6WdUP
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjJ8BLt7hR
Her ears flipped backwards, slapping against her skull as her head ducked low. She muttered out something about someone named Celestia.
"I'm going to get some more shut-eye," Booker groaned, reclining on the bench once more "wake me when we get to the next station."
Twilight nodded.
"The tear is closing! You've got to come through now!"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhl5vHkQab
"I don't want to get caught in-between!"
"It's fine! You've got to hurry!"
"Fine? Are you mad?!"
"No! The tear is stable! You'll not get caught in-between, I promise!"
"If I get caught, it's going to be a very long time before we see each other again!"
"Hey, hey! The deal's off, you hear me? The deal's off!"
An aging man, a bundle in his arms, stepped through the ever-shifting hole in the wall.
Booker grabbed at the man, yanking his arm just as he stepped through.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Kuz9yRzlf
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyR6rg7ak7
"It's becoming unstable!"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ctALQtTk0
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsH3zBnBXa
Booker fought back, gritting his teeth as he tried to take back his daughter, crying out in distress as she was swiftly moved back and forth, her face tinged green.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNr4FKsiEz
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAITHle231
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1EstLiYDc
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyc4dvgZZC
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRV5Z2xqnt
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Qy3yPl7v7
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBX0DDMe4c
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSj0NnmEdB
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspntBXn9FF
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoAjpGzq2g
He didn't care.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXtMe1k6hk
Anna was gone.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0Nl40UXcW
"Mr. DeWitt! Mr. DeWitt! Please," a voice sobbed, breaking him out of his sleep "please wake up, Anna's right- right here! She's perfectly f-fine!"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWfXuTp5WS
Booker's eyes shot open, finding himself to be in the train car. Quickly sitting up, he once again, struck his head on the baggage compartment above.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnqZJPjH6T
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRmbTEplkb
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9C1TFOXnN
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZySWTnOPe
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlcfPHwRqg
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWG7vYHZ0r
"'kay."956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgNzYGylhM
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFE3o2QEbDH
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqa4K4tOKJ
Fluttershy blushed, her muzzle tinged red as she hesitantly let a wing drape gently over the young girl.
"Anyway..." Booker muttered "who woke me up?"956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PbxKZdOk1
"None of us did, Mr. DeWitt." Twilight responded, confusion evident on her features "You were having a nightmare, I was about to wake you, when you...erm..."
He nodded, standing. He checked his belongings, then followed the purple princess out of the train car, Anna and Fluttershy close behind.
'She'd better not get too attached to her...' he thought 'I can barely feed either of us, let alone a pony.'956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnhToar0A4
Then again, these ponies could talk, and had trains, as well as fairs, whose to say they didn't have homes, as well? Entire cities- hell, and entire country of horses. It was like the cavalry all over again...except for the gunfire, and cannons, and wails of pain...956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseD6KzZGg3
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWujarICrK1
The car let out a squeak as a result as a relief from his weight from it, as if groaning in exhaustion from having to carry him all the way here. Wherever here was, that is.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwmoTxqPLb
"Welcome to Ponyville!" the pink mare shouted, a party favor hanging from her mouth as she stood on her hind legs, her forehooves in the air. A wave of balloons and confetti literally fell out of nowhere, littering the station platform with the small bits.
'God damn it.'956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2i92XDaJNQ
