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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPi31CQIAB
"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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh41crbfBwj
The possibility that she wandered around while he was asleep crossed his mind.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6eiVCnL1y
The sight made his head ache, reminding him of the situation he was in.
'Stupid Booker, stupid.'936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthdy3Qqkb3
"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."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBH0YKSs7U
"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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kIM1Oh2Mq
"Why are you so annoying, Mrs. Sparkle?" he retorted.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaRRiqiAZH
"'Miss', not 'missus', I'm not married."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeZ7CEVdFd
"Figured someone in your position would be."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkjdK3Sgd7
Her purple face darkened, her muzzle reddening until it was almost completely scarlet.
'Didn't know horses could blush.' he thought.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBf6Olck6R9
"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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMAEntFqE2
"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."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPsRvrRKh5
"Wouldn't have guessed." Booker said, genuinely surprised.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPP0PiqHe8R
"And just what's that supposed to mean?"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhGIKrlZp8
"It's obvious you have leadership skills," Booker stated "you just don't like ordering others."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWbT6MmAAF
"What gave you that idea?"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVV2s0t3E3s
"What happened at the fair, for one thing."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyonbLJtKf6
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!"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXiHPu2KsJ
"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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpx68Fto3I9
"Shut it down! Shut down the machine!" the man shouted to the two behind him, appearing to be blackened shadows behind him.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbVnPqWD9y
"It's becoming unstable!"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uvaQLrImz
"Shut it DOWN!" he roared, briefly yanking the fragile bundle in his arms towards himself.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimunOAbeeU
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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcolUuq7jnO
"It's ready! You've got to pull her through!"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxBgah6mYX
The man gave one final tug, pulling Anna through the anomaly.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GSwCECXKl
"Give me back my daughter! NO!"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCa7rVwE3D8
The portal closed, Anna disappearing from his life forever.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn2EbuvmQz
He numbly looked down, and didn't see his hands, as he'd expected.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxg9nKyvYhR
Two stumps, that was it, most of his forearms missing.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzWAvwEpaU
Blood spurted from the appendages, splattering against the dirty cobblestone.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dL0yCyIfK
It landed wetly, dripping morbidly down the wall.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GKT0byIf4
A cry of anguish escaped his lips, and he collapsed, his head striking the ground with such force that it too began to bleed.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsHZ6zieAV
He didn't care.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrzaeGULIi
Anna was gone.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pFGDQlLqa
"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!"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUElHjrCSS
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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRYjGbVZVP
"Sonofabitch!" he shouted, holding his head.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZp8NwNcJJ
"Daddy okay?" Anna asked, toddling up to him, grabbing his free arm.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuzqaOMQLW
Anna by his side, the pain in his head was quickly forgotten. Taking her hand into his, Booker sat up, mindful of the compartment.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9f1yOgfP7
"Daddy's fine, sweetie." he said, a small smile on his face.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWgqP5zxgg
Anna smiled, her small teeth showing.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lf2T3gNad
"'kay."936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeADLAGfkg
She then went to embrace Fluttershy, much to the latter's surprise.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0TAAXW3bi
"Soft." Anna murmured into the pegasus' chest.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIj9AKMLJK
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?"936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcw5PEIZ2u
"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.'936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hXUjzTsXi
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...936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSD1tJux4b
'Goddamn place is going to kill us...' he thought, stepping off the train.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywP2YRWzzA
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.936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLZzCS17aL
"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.'936Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiicUXyt1MD
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