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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUKtGrLL1S
"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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrEb9HsmGO
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs5frdc1sG
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEdMHjighK
"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."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEzQ4xLCIz
"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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmaqUsHl3p
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhhrjhZpYw
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Jeq4F2Hwq
"Figured someone in your position would be."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UQVtZuzFV
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVhJOWAU41
"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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqC6ArM7E2
"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."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEB3eT56w1
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXHLCf4GZU
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37LY5gaoIZ
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPw6fmUfyph
"What gave you that idea?"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZAI7cW0nE
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KXjrti84S
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!"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOf8nZid8Hp
"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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9HgbaTebd
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTSiIt4LTb
"It's becoming unstable!"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Fu7ctK9c3
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftx6CaP77T
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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3crqZztxNl
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYGEebzSAZ
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzXV64xFCh
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUP9q2Mrg3
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQV3MvGRioy
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFvFoGLS2h
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyH4PVRzsAm
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpf0I6FLdr
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg71GYgGoL
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSzONnaJ9B
He didn't care.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEoZaBMvPf
Anna was gone.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTThRjRqPEw
"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!"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJYq7jGwH3
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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxakZFtSxpB
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgzoOPpDml
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawJhiNXs8v
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDz0aSuTRSv
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjFbGoJxoZ
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiMaov2ea7
"'kay."991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRky8qrl8Mb
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdK9EmigDX
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNTcSyAS0O
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?"991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZtS5h5j0v
"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.'991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkct2YetBUT
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...991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3alK8LHTtU
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFumjrdrWSb
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.991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgs58jczZj
"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.'991Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxxa2QWB2V
