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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mzyF6k0Et
"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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0GWE7iuu1
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMm3BZMhMka
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6l6oL1Mlw
"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."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzI6CSHIeN
"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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5IYdRoqTZ
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNKr2PfAus
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGT4buuay9
"Figured someone in your position would be."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TyYvrtC2I
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMH8QovJNJ
"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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK44VwFCTsJ
"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."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKl4TYAjG3
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFvFvMVJke
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fEgAFzNWx
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwr757cRoP
"What gave you that idea?"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89XtjWb8AR
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQYAD8iHEk
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!"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckyphNeGdJ
"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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYQjo7FXSq
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJ9aSg0kOq
"It's becoming unstable!"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkUd2g3cdn
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqgDETrTuQ
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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFomVOAVCl
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi0wfr5KIa
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVwEzJUeR5
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SZ1QAMTVv
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNG22sl4cF
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPAjeHlBlP
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqfjp5fVPx
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8DhNPJMtJ
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpFUX7yvIn
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNFizwfS36
He didn't care.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqK4PxTyDIM
Anna was gone.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJKU9yCnHh
"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!"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbQnQ8AKSb
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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pdr8Ou7Vi
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuCrJzpK3s
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeuWNhwwa7
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQJQJvVFeD
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ivJcpVDUK
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEgjjn0I43
"'kay."926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3V8bHcfK9T
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVn8uCBvKy
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2I3mxI0CXo
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?"926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sgIBbrBTn
"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.'926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Gp6eT7J38
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...926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZ3Ih5hdfx
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqcYjLQT5w
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.926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiwwIq84WW
"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.'926Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdk5Izc1D9z
