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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ogqPvV5eh
"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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL38CVbHc8f
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfapjWbTFqh
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrym1zqOhTW
"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."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarzPJsmeun
"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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJ29NIp4Hb
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqccoitqL5
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkP4fHmldeS
"Figured someone in your position would be."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqU99YouACi
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhn5Kw6kpGt
"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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEwPqv3fIW
"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."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbIeaWi8NW
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFGyUvQ4GQ
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs9FijacFu
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cuf8Il8RY
"What gave you that idea?"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTNo8SdrJx
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKpd9je4u9
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!"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMVuURGAu0
"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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVHXizHE32
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJ7tlHO1TT
"It's becoming unstable!"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA5jnzmpyN
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBtJlp4XTg
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XrO2dew4j
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSODmtYGEa0
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvrPsKQkkw
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXb1f22fzH
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EeD3CwnB8
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPq2kIeNEmy
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEIkpv6kPk
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm7jWsu9qV
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0gzJtMgvi
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHoBbNnZFI
He didn't care.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIraTSH8N7x
Anna was gone.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaZ9R3iOz0
"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!"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYxdcU0oZk
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEv3PRGXiPY
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJnM1m1PA4
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3Yc6gzvoW
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGNwWExqhv
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWNYZ5LgWl
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡud50HQp1cA
"'kay."836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmx7S9QTM49
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡha87iibknx
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVPynOKiof
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?"836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1QQHrfj4o
"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.'836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdKn874GUe
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...836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6HSStl8nP
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhs3F9eUx9F
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.836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4wgNbl7ZY
"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.'836Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrI1ZFKsbuQ
