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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmANdhcdPZ
"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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv71RUpB558
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaMBdzNVQz
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOaLKQdazF
"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."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckYh2k9hIE
"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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7Uqj1B6cW
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVsBlAZLeJ
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqKEh5SdIY
"Figured someone in your position would be."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyqanZFap0
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9TLJKmd4p
"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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmNkIbKbMq
"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."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBOz6ImoMG
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKox7jFCWDh
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ247WmmFB50
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vZfcXf98r
"What gave you that idea?"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdylLBr6G3H
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULEmODskKt
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!"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21hhWDpWVT
"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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyfbylkBDn
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtI9t6TCjGL
"It's becoming unstable!"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9S9vWjjtw
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3hPTP8VqR
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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJw4MW7Ees
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN0MJRddUv
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYARiL5DuaZ
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5qkrFogYV
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVqVMeoERd
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq0fSKMRUd
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8cygKs4lp
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS5fx4fWet
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWryeDjbfX
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbISa1ZJbn
He didn't care.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1c2V2aSN4c
Anna was gone.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZD38QZwWH
"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!"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhu1L2fuyOT
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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatRdVScEOQ
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKi8yNUwLwP
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWbLsVWjX0
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oGcdlM4zD
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZGQgXnLxR
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGD32JjwLiC
"'kay."826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrFh54fTG5
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOORDpnTNLT
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3A1dRxd6L
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?"826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aWvV1ATTW
"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.'826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtJXST6FUp
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...826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70SapvN09n
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx5jMczHt4
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.826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhVLYbAkif
"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.'826Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfYymok9EU
