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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHDgxWy2jq
"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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoXcFJCK8G
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTaz5fEAZm
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYs5YjXyZpO
"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."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT7fjhgEIT
"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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkhQOL6Zcx
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75ilPNswuE
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CPFvOSRGi
"Figured someone in your position would be."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbRt6yYEaH
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8F0Z8uj7ZT
"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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIFzjM2WXR
"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."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAgY4SH2Zy
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmuHESlcLu
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoS3LsoDjib
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBmtg1Wb8L
"What gave you that idea?"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbYGmywYz4
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhc7zKBwfOz
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!"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XwKwv7mFX
"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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXl3igT8QvR
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIDMXNGpZo
"It's becoming unstable!"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Nl3paXchW
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vhnKtQV7E
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJID3uZPzh7
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZhyhb9tQe
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWuneeWZ2l
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ulJ4CzOT7
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eLfMI08T3
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYN8GGe0DU
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8txJm0Kv9
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibvb0oLMOr
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkTEXxyeFd
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaSFbTe8fu
He didn't care.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIg1juUB21
Anna was gone.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNUriF2Jpj
"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!"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr63IvGBUc
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQPG2bAbvu
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjMG1ZgkuN
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1aWiZasB1
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn814zw1UqF
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbHvgJH8oe
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxl3Fb7Dl1
"'kay."915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLDKTvPRi7
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXzVinZsiq
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7Rh52Ivm9
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?"915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqwKSrZxb2
"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.'915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOq84ncn26
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...915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEI2OOmGMWz
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwOJgThyQy
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.915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7YQF2psSO
"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.'915Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUSeOohFDu
