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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqLm2xKkgs
"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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpUvOaeBuB
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9hC5NT8vi
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNUOPwPOfx
"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."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD17Nv3UwJg
"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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3xltWutg5
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jYRVMfNYY
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZAyn2ZPA9
"Figured someone in your position would be."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9TOdE6BMm
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TWReOh8W6
"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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHXnAaoIns
"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."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBPTWDFsHF
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy48tq4GEWL
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZZP0biA4z
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIBrdNGfDw
"What gave you that idea?"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskDZwpBImk
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxVV3F06Gh
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!"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6KylyZp1c
"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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXTWC3YezZ
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEx66e54lC4
"It's becoming unstable!"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzJUdeZot9
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgYRCNUSof
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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuRES5jTfy
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLmEPgs4PI
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiNY8Arw6n
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8Hfrgreso
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHR8oJEAVI
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMRYwWj9sY
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Acl9Mm9Df
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP69e2jQbLI
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPz1dyqFXK1
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NU9MAEnZQ
He didn't care.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKNjhGN9B3
Anna was gone.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCuLFQ6zoT
"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!"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4blHeTUcd
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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalaur1EBk0
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki5qKnBSd8
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj35AczWZSx
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilv7NOE12N
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpf2x28qCX
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuol174yBy
"'kay."988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrsUdgK3qH
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMYILsLoVu
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z9mZWFAl4
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?"988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwvETRCXUT
"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.'988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AoEwgIiKQ
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...988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5afc8ZXkpU
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVedRHk063N
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.988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKA40JbX81
"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.'988Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObF6DXVM0M
