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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUk7as1xXG
"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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEywQfkAfzI
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ840xKW3Kmn
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZN435dlrE
"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."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSCF48H9VI
"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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsmeYFLy7t
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnk3dE1PyT3
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpcvIZlBGA
"Figured someone in your position would be."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoemV8kys9A
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS6723PmJ7
"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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGnm8Cwjgp
"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."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ796cejqCXx
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqIFLpVfAI
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHS9P5UAAyc
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2zCLUQXNo
"What gave you that idea?"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBv6s3U0YMv
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzYwlUWa3D
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!"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsaISpL2No
"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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4LOKr2yT1
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHljLV0NTs
"It's becoming unstable!"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHma4M8nArg
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCdnuVPDg6
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWcVZW7umn
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvd9THNkAhV
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Bh1NTYxes
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4abhczRLu
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAHrs9zqVS
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBJDvMtfoc
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfIcMtBi8p
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXggRF0jTC
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLxaOfQilM
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQjn2eOnQc
He didn't care.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYak5xpxtk
Anna was gone.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtF42aGcj3
"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!"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzn4emD7rKT
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8malsoRajw
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhJsOgLYCJ
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCqNqjbAPi
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGQp1WAV6G
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3RimBzH5K
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNqi9XLTMF
"'kay."912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13CMYNcM2I
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r0f52hlOA
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10m4iRDawv
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?"912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoo2JDin8a4
"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.'912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibKRUXkTYZ
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...912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDXsBaP2Rf
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqxUQJGM5O
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.912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8MZDhXwcI
"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.'912Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ9JbMlj5d
