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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUp4hDMqZ4
"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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIKZXUNixZ
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN82HIs69E
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02TcywEKei
"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."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMFHQOfFWr
"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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU98fFtxbGh
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXJLBL3AFi
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarXzoqibiK
"Figured someone in your position would be."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlz0TGNNJyW
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvsDTbB3Sq
"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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwO0r2s3LCq
"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."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTMCBhgbvP
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd0x4L5XGM
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjlE41TikM
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkaZLm2JuC
"What gave you that idea?"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe6vR4kyhC
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RmCproNxV
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!"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZayD0jVqg
"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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2zv42VYEg
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CsmJkz8af
"It's becoming unstable!"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKYmuZyNLW
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsN9XlHd9TU
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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueWUN3FG3k
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsffXsdvVr
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89TsezvXVO
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdykF1wf4Gg
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtortuet3Ke
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2TQH6D81x
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQMefgrRox
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbvQiRaGJR
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTycKGwnWt
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltmCO57jjr
He didn't care.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDBzmjGnA0
Anna was gone.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRm9bBNaMp
"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!"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡir5q2GwYWu
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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6f4jR55KU
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HMX2Mo1vq
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtarnaQFbip
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYh92TruMtJ
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetxBZQCC2K
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDQwYWvclW
"'kay."768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5oUHg8jMa
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQahuJ3RCX
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUSJ8MT2k5
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?"768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqE9esdZHu
"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.'768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHbFzlaO6I
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...768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRaBMC4e0D
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap7g8ZzgMn
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.768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflmTHz1Kox
"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.'768Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sL62hsJER
