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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡET6U199aaG
"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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ulupb5Ctx
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd76jdte8YE
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrNEBdM2VC
"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."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aktsTPuYx
"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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvLPF5N2wO
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzphcJ4m3u9
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntzBlevFQU
"Figured someone in your position would be."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwp1z18KHh
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLK1dz29Yf
"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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCRV9DAu5b
"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."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxnQc2uW7d
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvQ2OjIGxX
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBcz8XVsNE
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8X0SopZlqY
"What gave you that idea?"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvHckug47m
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkZYN8AGpL
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!"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX24JbCOFng
"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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV7ZTEAGyL
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxihAMwg9m4
"It's becoming unstable!"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPd15PO0SS
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBgFz21sOw
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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa7BBTuG6i
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcrWApJePn
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w4GfpNSxW
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXgxp7qpjW
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNopKTyZAV0
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ogwa0Xutf
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDU3K8FPOX
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmqOUueRAH
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyvEyYbsH2
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIm1ij2qsVj
He didn't care.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4l6NCnvt5W
Anna was gone.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcegRAnQsXh
"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!"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho5WIoZCnY
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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFswMENiq4
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegqTMklYso
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVNR2Jg2Aq
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVu4LNIiHn
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV1ULiemun
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoBtjvHDvb
"'kay."850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIu1Ur5lYRI
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHJ1svxfwu
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvQYag5IC0
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?"850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutGThM6sWM
"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.'850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkt0EMID9u
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...850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPIRPwBUox
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGq55A1wOz
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.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5tpn57v4c
"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.'850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQeBNjn2T5
