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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgA9RDjRmKD
"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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXwk3tEq33
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnWHRy6Ei5
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOPRnKjZwE
"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."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qjJfTqCVQ
"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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjqerrac8S
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoxNFuaNiy
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOHcpTbrmK
"Figured someone in your position would be."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gy0uswk11
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfF0pdF91Y
"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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxacYsvttge
"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."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKH7TLB2aZZ
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXL5pOHsDyY
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa98wCm2mA
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxLxkCRcre
"What gave you that idea?"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVw5Yzw9HDb
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jQUg8TnR4
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!"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4D1dUBD9R3
"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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDqaf0GzQd
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDMJ48jJoX
"It's becoming unstable!"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLasBSeVi0K
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsg3dquDyW6
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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JriNbio3S
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGz0FGJaKw
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6H9GUTNsA
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2p2DrvJOrw
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaYhcm6n6u
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7LIFr7wG7
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eQbdAXkze
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7PmTZBeiD
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlvCU2ETl8
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLifwHnWXX
He didn't care.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tO6WmGJwl
Anna was gone.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5NT0XRNXd
"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!"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrsgCQsT7h
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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9OmgHtl1T
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uEnua0zcQ
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZxKptJGgj
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnM9bBDzwHh
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyw2ZmGzvg
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZPnpzr20V
"'kay."983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamIQ7lnCUd
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fNnUY3bRh
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx0Wo5Aa0y
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?"983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcnuWrm6is
"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.'983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbPWe1qXft
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...983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9BzJrAjho
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu13zQJ3F6Z
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.983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJA2fyQZmPA
"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.'983Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLmLfBP5k9
