Nothing Leftby Captain ObviousChaptersPrologue: PreperationsDepartureArrivalPrologue: Preperations"See you in a week!" his boss called, as Tom left work. Tom just gave a small wave as he began to descend the stairs on his way to the parking lot. He had been looking forward to this vacation for months now, and was eager to get it started. After all, he still had a few preparations to do before he could even really start going. He'd need to replace some of his old equipment, get some bait, the usual. He had just started his Toyota Tundra when his phone began to ring. With a quick glance at the name that popped up, he answered it, turned on the speaker, and casually tossed it into the passenger seat. "Yeah babe?" Tom asked as he pulled into traffic. "Hey hun, still at work?" he heard his wife's voice say. "No, I just got out a minute ago, what's up?" "Nothing really. I got most of your stuff packed up, but It looks like you were right. You're going to need some new gear." the phone said as he rounded a corner. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that part, can you repeat that?" Tom asked. "What, when I said you were right?" "I think I'm getting a bad signal here, say it one more time." Tom said, grinning. "I said if you ever want to see me naked again in this century, you're going to stop making me say that!" his wife teased. "Love you, babe," Tom said. "You'd better!. Anyway listen, you're going to need a new tent, some new-" "Babe, I'm driving. Just text it to me and I'll read it when I get to the store," he interrupted. "Oh, right, I'm fucking stupid." She said quickly, before adding "And like I said, I just got everything packed up for your trip." "You're the best," "Yeah, I know!" she said in a slightly higher pitch that she uses when she tries to be cute. "Get some pizza when you come home. I'm a little tired, and don't really feel like cooking tonight." "So? Make Jenny cook something," Tom replied. "Jenny needs to get to bed early if you want her to be up early tomorrow. Besides, Bruce is here. Just get some pizza." She said with a small sigh. "Okay, pizza then. I'll be there in a couple hours. Love you, babe." "Love you too, hun. Muah!" She replied, and a short beep told him that his wife ended the call. Tom Conner was just your average family man of thirty-seven. He stood at six feet, and weighed somewhere around two hundred ten. He couldn't really tell you because, quite frankly, he's really not sure. He was always clean shaven, mainly because it was part of the dress code at the phone company he's worked at for the past eleven years. He began shaving his head in his early thirties when his hairline began receding. His wife, Mary, was only two years younger than him. Although Tom looks every bit his age, Mary looks to still be in her mid twenties. They married sixteen years ago, and had their daughter, Jenny, two years later. Jenny looks very much like her mother, with her long black hair, and her thin physique. Her father's hazel eyes seems to be the only physical attribute she inherited from him. Twilight Sparkle could barely contain her excitement. One little dot in Princess Luna's telescope may have forever just changed how ponies will see the universe. There had been some theories floating around about Princess Celestia's sun being a star, the only one close enough to be seen by day. The local scientist, Dr. Hooves, had simply been laughed at when he brought up the possibility. However, it was soon confirmed by Princess Luna, who knew more about stars than anypony, and Princess Celestia, who knew more about the sun than anypony, that the sun was indeed a star. Unfortunately, most ponies didn't care. Twilight, naturally, was curious. As was Princess Luna. The good Doctor, however, quickly lost interest to pursue the potential energy giving properties of a bean. This led the two to take a closer look at the stars. After all, if the sun was a star, then other stars may be suns! If they were suns, then there were planets nearby! Other planets could mean other lifeforms, and maybe even new civilizations! Twilight and Luna were quite intrigued at the possibility. Along with Spike, the girls picked a star at random one night. They had to magically enhance the telescope several times, as the star still looked quite small through the lenses. but still, all they saw was a star, with a slightly smaller star a little further back. At least, that's what they thought they saw. Then, Spike looked through the telescope when the girls were trying to decide which star to look at next. Spike raised his brow, "Why isn't this little one twinkling?" Twilight just smiled. "Oh Spike, all stars twinkle." "Well, this one's not," he said, shrugging his shoulders. Princess Luna stepped forward. "Let me take another quick look." Spike stepped away from the telescope to give the princess some room. Luna placed her eye at the eyepiece and just looked. For almost a full minute she said nothing. "It's not twinkling. It's not doing anything! Twilight, I believe we have just found a planet!" Luna exclaimed suddenly, stepping aside to let Twilight have another peek. As she looked through the telescope at the new planet, only one thought went through her head. New lifeforms. It was something unknown, something new to study from, and to learn from. There could be a fountain of knowledge, literally staring right back in her face. She was speechless! Spike brought her back to reality with one simple question. "So, now what?" For the next three days, they discussed what to do. They figured the teleporting was the easy part. However, they needed a failsafe to get back in case something went wrong. Basically, they attached a crystal to the bottom of a hoof. If the crystal was smashed, it would return the bearer of the crystal to the point of departure. Princess Luna had tried first. She had arrived at the planet, and smashed the crystal after only ten minutes. "There's nothing there but rock and ice," she said , slightly downtrodden. Twilight spoke up. "Well, I don't suppose every planet could he inhabited then." "Well, let us try again!" Luna said. "Okay! Oh, can I go next?" asked Twilight excitedly. "I suppose you can, as long as you are careful," said a smiling Luna. "We just have to find a new planet!" That was three weeks ago. Tonight, they were preparing to try again. Tom pressed the button on his remote to open the garage door. Before he could pull in, he saw all of his gear sitting where he normally parked his truck. He left the truck in the driveway instead, and brought the pizza inside. Mary was in the kitchen going over the next month's bills when she heard the garage door open. "Jenny, dinner!" she called. "What are we having?" She heard her daughter call back. Mary sighed. "We're having a big pot of get your ass down here!" she yelled as the door leading from the garage to the hallway opened up. "Okay, my ass is here, what's up?" asked Tom, making his way to the kitchen, kissing his wife on the top of the head as he passed by. "Not much, how was work? "Same shit, different day," answered Tom. They heard a call from upstairs. "Is Dad home?" Mary yelled back, slightly annoyed, "Get down here and find out!" Tom glanced around. "I thought you said Bruce was here." "He was, but he wanted to get some beer before you left in the morning. You know, in case you get to the hunting grounds before seven. He should be back in a few," Mary responded. Jenny finally appeared in the kitchen, holding something behind her back. "Hi Daddy!" she said. Jenny was very much a daddy's girl. Her father was her best friend; the person she goes to for advice. About anything, even stuff she should really go to her mother for. Not that he minded, of course. Anything he did, she wanted to as well. Except his job, of course. She may have been looking forward to this hunting vacation even more than Tom himself. "Hey sweetie, whatcha got there?" "Hmm? Oh, nothing, except HAPPY EARLY FATHER'S DAY!" Jenny proceeded to throw the wrapped package she had at him. Tom fumbled it a bit before he caught it. Jenny always gave his gifts to him like this, shouting the occasion before throwing the gifts. He found it amusing though. "Early?" he asked. "Well, Mom's not coming with us, so I figured..." "Okay, makes sense," he replied, tearing open the wrapping paper to reveal a new black leather case, containing a hatchet. "You like it, right?" Jenny asked when Tom didn't say anything. Tom just stared at the hatchet for a moment before exclaiming, "You threw a hatchet at me?" Jenny raised her hands defensively. "It's in a case!" "It's still a hatchet!" "All right, you two," Mary interrupted. "Eat up and get to bed, both of you." "What? Mom! It's only 6:30!" "And we're leaving at three in the morning. You heard your mother, eat, then bed." "Ugh, fine." As Jenny stepped forward for her pizza, Tom gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I love the hatchet, by the way. Thanks, sweetie." Jenny smiled. "You're welcome, Daddy" Tom heard the front door open. "Your Uncle Bruce must be back. We're gonna go load up the truck. Be in bed by the time we're done, okay?" "Okay, Daddy." She gave him a quick hug before resuming her dinner. Tom turned to Mary. "She's packed too, right?" Mary nodded. "It's all out in the garage. I got some books for you guys packed too." "Thanks, babe, you're the best," Tom said, heading to the living room to meet with his brother. "Yeah, I know!" Author's Note Be brutal in the comments. If I don't get any criticism, I won't get any better. Then you'll be stuck reading a shitty story. The first chapter is short on ponies. I don't really need to introduce them. If you don't already know who they are, you're on the wrong website. DepartureIt was almost three in the morning when they pulled out of the Shell station. Tom filled the Tundra's gas tank while Bruce and Jenny went inside to get some cigarettes and coffee. Less than twenty minutes later, they left their home city of San Antonio, Texas, heading west on IH-10. Their destination was the Twin Buttes Reservoir, near San Angelo. Bruce was in the passenger's seat admiring Tom's new hatchet before placing it back in it's case and handing it behind him to Jenny. "That's real nice, how'd you get the money for something like that?" he asked. "Drugs. I sell drugs," she replied with a straight face. "Great, now you can help out with the bills," Tom said glancing at her in the rearview mirror. Jenny smiled. "Yeah, you wish." "You all set, Twilight?" Spike asked his friend. Twilight looked away from the telescope. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose," she answered, nervously. Princess Luna stepped forward. "You realize that you do not have to do this. Nopony is forcing you to do anything." "Thank you, Princess, but I really want to do this. Sure, it might be just another ball of rock and ice, but then again, it might not be! And as Princess of Friendship, It is my duty to befriend whatever is out there," she stated proudly with a hoof on her chest. Spike threw his claws up. "That's what you're worried about? Space rocks?" Twilight looked down at her hooves. "No, I'm actually more worried about meeting new lifeforms. What do I say to them? What if they can't understand me?" Twilight started raising her voice and talking faster. "What if they don't like me? What if they eat ponies? What if-" "What if they don't?" Luna interrupted. Twilight smiled. "That's why I want to go!" "Very good, Twilight," Luna nodded. "Now, take your crystal." Twilight walked over the the bowl, which contained a few dozen of the crystals. After all, it never hurt to have extras, just in case. In case of what? I couldn't tell you. Still, better to have it and not need it... Grabbing one, she stood before Luna and Spike. "Wish me luck," she said nervously. "Good luck, Twilight," Luna said, proudly. Spike merely smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be fine!" Twilight got a determined look on her face, and instantly vanished. Only to suddenly reappear. "You were gone two seconds! What hap- Twilight, you okay?" Spike asked, concerned, as he noticed her wide eyes and heavy breathing. Twilight took a moment to calm herself as Luna asked, "Did you find something?" "I'm not sure. I panicked and smashed the crystal before I could get a good look at it" Luna levitated two crystals over to them She attached one to her hoof, and gave the other to Twilight. "Then let us go see what it was!" she said, smiling. Twilight grabbed a crystal,and allowed herself to be teleported by Luna to the planet seen through the telescope. Luna glanced around at the barren landscape, clearly unimpressed. "So, um Twilight? Do you see what spooked you?" she asked, raising a brow. "No, maybe it was in a different area," Twilight said, looking around. "Wait here a moment." she said before vanishing. She showed up again a few minutes later. "There's nothing here! It's just another ice ball! I teleported all over this planet and nothing!" Twilight smashed her crystal in frustration, sending her back to the castle in Canterlot. Luna smashed her crystal as well, following her back. Twilight let out a growl of frustration. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I went to the wrong planet!" Luna's eyes widened at that. But her surprise quickly gave way to a fit of giggles. "You went to the wrong planet? How did you even do that?" "I don't know, and it's not funny!" By now, Luna was laughing hysterically. "Ha, you went to the wrong planet!" "Spike! Say goodbye to Princess Luna, we're going home!" Twilight said with a frustrated sigh before teleporting them to her castle in Ponyville, leaving Luna to laugh her flank off. Once at hope, Spike asked, "So, what did you see anyway?" "All I saw are these two really big bright lights, moving very fast, coming towards me." The large black pickup was cruising along the highway, as it had been for the last two hours. The road stretched ahead, with only the headlights cutting through the darkness. A small orange light appeared from the top of it's driver's side window, only to drop and be swept back behind the speeding vehicle. "Nice, Dad. Start a forest fire, why don't you?" "One cigarette butt isn't gonna start a fire," Tom replied, rolling his eyes while reaching for his now-cold coffee. "Well, it could. You don't know. It's happened before," Jenny retorted. Tom, only half listening, grimaced as he took a sip. Cold coffee tasted terrible. "Here, I'll make sure it goes out then," he stated as he tossed the cup out the window before rolling it back up. "Oh yeah, much better," Jenny said, sarcastically. "Open that back window. See if you can reach the cooler from there and grab me something, will ya?" "Sure, Daddy," she said, turning around. "You can't get it," Bruce spoke up. "It's back by the tailgate." "Oh," was Tom's reply. "Fuck it then." "Don't worry, I have some back here." Jenny reached forward between the two front seats with a bottle of coke in her hand. "Thanks. sweetie," Tom said. Jenny settled back into her seat with a smile. Bruce reached over and took the wheel as Tom opened his bottle. After a drink, he pulled out another cigarette and lit it before taking the wheel back and offering one to his brother. "Nah, I got my own." "Yeah, but your smokes are shit." "I like my shit, Tom," was Bruce's reply. "Okay, if you-SHIT!" Tom exclaimed as something appeared in the road, right in front of his truck. He spun the wheel to the right while slamming the brakes; the tires squealing. The thing on the road suddenly vanished, which engulfed the truck in a deep purple flash for a split second. Tom very quickly noticed that the road vanished as well. All he saw in his headlights were trees as the truck barreled downhill, its heavy weight preventing it from stopping quickly enough. Jenny gave a small shriek the truck suddenly lurched to the right, with it's left headlight shattered as it glanced off a tree trunk. Tom, slightly panicked, over-steered when trying to correct the vehicle's path. This caused the truck to slide sideways, and the heavy vehicle threatened to roll. Without warning, the truck came to a sudden stop. Jenny screamed, and Tom took advantage of the moment to put the truck in park and yank up the parking brake. All three passengers we breathing heavily. Bruce was the first to break the silence. "Anyone hurt?" The three looked themselves over, then looked each other over. Aside from a few bumps and bruises, they seemed to be fine. Bruce looked over to his brother, quite irritated. "What the hell was that?" Arrival"I can't see shit out here," Bruce said as he climbed out of the truck behind Tom. Tom just turned on his phone's flashlight app and motioned for Bruce to do the same. "Yeah, I left mine at home," was Bruce's response. Tom stared at him for a moment. "Why the hell would you do that? "I didn't think I needed it," was the answer. Tom really wanted to slap the stupid out of his brother sometimes. "You didn't think that three people, one of them a fourteen year old girl, wandering for a few days in the woods, with GUNS I might add, would ever require some type of quick communication with emergency services in case one of us shoots ourselves in the foot?" "You got your phone, so I don't see why you're bitching," Bruce shot back. "God dammit Bruce," Tom muttered, shaking his head as Jenny came out of the truck. "I have mine, Dad, but it's not gonna do us any good," she said, handing him her phone. Tom looked at her phone and just sighed. The screen was completely shattered. "Fucking hell." He handed the phone back. "At least it's insured. Put it in the glove box." While she did that, the two men went to the back of the truck. Tom held the phone for light as Bruce rummaged around for the lantern and flashlights. Jenny joined them back there as Bruce found the lantern. After a bit more searching, he pulled out the three flashlights they brought, as well as one small can of propane. He handed the flashlights to the other two before screwing the propane can to the bottom of the lantern. He then took out his lighter and ignited the lantern before going around front and placing it on the hood of the truck. He then grabbed his flashlight while Tom turned the app on his phone off. "So where the hell are we?" Bruce finally asked. Tom was bringing up Google Maps. "I'm checking, gimme a sec." No Signal. Of course. Tom sighed again. "Should we call Mom, or something?" Jenny asked. "Yes, we should, there's no signal though, sweetie." "Well then," Bruce stated, "I'm going back up to the highway to see if I can flag someone down." When Bruce left, Tom lit a cigarette and decided to finally check out the damage to his truck. He grabbed the lantern and stood in front of the vehicle. The left side was completely smashed in, the headlight on that side shattered, and the bumper was gone. He went around to the passenger side, and saw the truck had slammed into a large tree, which was now sporting quite a large horizontal crack across the trunk. The right side of the truck bed was smashed, wrapping around the trunk. The rear tire was flat. The insurance company would total it out, he just knew it. Jenny walked around and stood next to her father, looking at the truck. "Wow, Dad. That's, um, it's..." She couldn't come up with the right words. She knew how much he loved that truck. "It's -" "Fucked." Tom finished for her. "Yes, I know. I can see it from here sweetie." Jenny decided it was best not to say anything at all at that point. Her father was irritated. She didn't want to make him angry. She watched him go into the back seat, reach under, and pull out a small black bag. Tom pointed to a spot under the tailgate. "Shine your light over here," he ordered while pulling a long bar out of the bag. While she held the light, he located a small hole to insert the bar, and began turning it counterclockwise to lower the spare tire. After pulling it out, he raised the cord that held the tire up. He didn't raise it fully. He was going to put the flat tire there, so there was no point. There was no way he could change the tire where the truck was at now, so he just put it, along with the bag, in the back seat. The process took about ten minutes. Afterwards, he pointed his flashlight up the hill. "Where the hell is your uncle?" It took a few more minutes before he saw Bruce coming down the hill, dragging something behind him. "Head's up!" Bruce called as he let go of whatever he was dragging, Tom stepped to the side just as his front bumper slammed into the side of the pickup. At least he had it back. "I hit the end of the tracks, but there's no road, highway, or anything," Bruce said while helping Tom throw the bumper in the back of the truck. "I don't know where the hell we are, but it sure as hell ain't near where we should be." "The hell do you mean, no road?" Tom asked "Exactly what it sounds like. The hill just keeps going up at the end of the tire tracks." "Are you fucki-" Tom started to say, before he saw his daughter looking nervously at the two men. "Sweetie, wait in the truck while we figure something out, ok?" "Okay..." Jenny replied as she climbed into the truck. Tom turned Bruce away from the truck and spoke in a softer tone so they didn't upset the young girl. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, It's a big joke. I just dragged your fucking bumper around the goddamn woods for fun. You think I like being out in Bumfuck, Nowhere, with a wrecked-ass truck?" It was Tom's turn to sigh. "Okay, so it was a dumb question. So, what do you think?" Bruce looked around for a moment. "Well, I think we should sit tight til' it's light out. We can head back up the hill then." "Alright, sounds like a plan," Tom said before the two men turned and got back into the truck. Once inside, Tom relayed the info to Jenny. The three decided to just nap until daytime.
Prologue: Preperations"See you in a week!" his boss called, as Tom left work. Tom just gave a small wave as he began to descend the stairs on his way to the parking lot. He had been looking forward to this vacation for months now, and was eager to get it started. After all, he still had a few preparations to do before he could even really start going. He'd need to replace some of his old equipment, get some bait, the usual. He had just started his Toyota Tundra when his phone began to ring. With a quick glance at the name that popped up, he answered it, turned on the speaker, and casually tossed it into the passenger seat. "Yeah babe?" Tom asked as he pulled into traffic. "Hey hun, still at work?" he heard his wife's voice say. "No, I just got out a minute ago, what's up?" "Nothing really. I got most of your stuff packed up, but It looks like you were right. You're going to need some new gear." the phone said as he rounded a corner. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that part, can you repeat that?" Tom asked. "What, when I said you were right?" "I think I'm getting a bad signal here, say it one more time." Tom said, grinning. "I said if you ever want to see me naked again in this century, you're going to stop making me say that!" his wife teased. "Love you, babe," Tom said. "You'd better!. Anyway listen, you're going to need a new tent, some new-" "Babe, I'm driving. Just text it to me and I'll read it when I get to the store," he interrupted. "Oh, right, I'm fucking stupid." She said quickly, before adding "And like I said, I just got everything packed up for your trip." "You're the best," "Yeah, I know!" she said in a slightly higher pitch that she uses when she tries to be cute. "Get some pizza when you come home. I'm a little tired, and don't really feel like cooking tonight." "So? Make Jenny cook something," Tom replied. "Jenny needs to get to bed early if you want her to be up early tomorrow. Besides, Bruce is here. Just get some pizza." She said with a small sigh. "Okay, pizza then. I'll be there in a couple hours. Love you, babe." "Love you too, hun. Muah!" She replied, and a short beep told him that his wife ended the call. Tom Conner was just your average family man of thirty-seven. He stood at six feet, and weighed somewhere around two hundred ten. He couldn't really tell you because, quite frankly, he's really not sure. He was always clean shaven, mainly because it was part of the dress code at the phone company he's worked at for the past eleven years. He began shaving his head in his early thirties when his hairline began receding. His wife, Mary, was only two years younger than him. Although Tom looks every bit his age, Mary looks to still be in her mid twenties. They married sixteen years ago, and had their daughter, Jenny, two years later. Jenny looks very much like her mother, with her long black hair, and her thin physique. Her father's hazel eyes seems to be the only physical attribute she inherited from him. Twilight Sparkle could barely contain her excitement. One little dot in Princess Luna's telescope may have forever just changed how ponies will see the universe. There had been some theories floating around about Princess Celestia's sun being a star, the only one close enough to be seen by day. The local scientist, Dr. Hooves, had simply been laughed at when he brought up the possibility. However, it was soon confirmed by Princess Luna, who knew more about stars than anypony, and Princess Celestia, who knew more about the sun than anypony, that the sun was indeed a star. Unfortunately, most ponies didn't care. Twilight, naturally, was curious. As was Princess Luna. The good Doctor, however, quickly lost interest to pursue the potential energy giving properties of a bean. This led the two to take a closer look at the stars. After all, if the sun was a star, then other stars may be suns! If they were suns, then there were planets nearby! Other planets could mean other lifeforms, and maybe even new civilizations! Twilight and Luna were quite intrigued at the possibility. Along with Spike, the girls picked a star at random one night. They had to magically enhance the telescope several times, as the star still looked quite small through the lenses. but still, all they saw was a star, with a slightly smaller star a little further back. At least, that's what they thought they saw. Then, Spike looked through the telescope when the girls were trying to decide which star to look at next. Spike raised his brow, "Why isn't this little one twinkling?" Twilight just smiled. "Oh Spike, all stars twinkle." "Well, this one's not," he said, shrugging his shoulders. Princess Luna stepped forward. "Let me take another quick look." Spike stepped away from the telescope to give the princess some room. Luna placed her eye at the eyepiece and just looked. For almost a full minute she said nothing. "It's not twinkling. It's not doing anything! Twilight, I believe we have just found a planet!" Luna exclaimed suddenly, stepping aside to let Twilight have another peek. As she looked through the telescope at the new planet, only one thought went through her head. New lifeforms. It was something unknown, something new to study from, and to learn from. There could be a fountain of knowledge, literally staring right back in her face. She was speechless! Spike brought her back to reality with one simple question. "So, now what?" For the next three days, they discussed what to do. They figured the teleporting was the easy part. However, they needed a failsafe to get back in case something went wrong. Basically, they attached a crystal to the bottom of a hoof. If the crystal was smashed, it would return the bearer of the crystal to the point of departure. Princess Luna had tried first. She had arrived at the planet, and smashed the crystal after only ten minutes. "There's nothing there but rock and ice," she said , slightly downtrodden. Twilight spoke up. "Well, I don't suppose every planet could he inhabited then." "Well, let us try again!" Luna said. "Okay! Oh, can I go next?" asked Twilight excitedly. "I suppose you can, as long as you are careful," said a smiling Luna. "We just have to find a new planet!" That was three weeks ago. Tonight, they were preparing to try again. Tom pressed the button on his remote to open the garage door. Before he could pull in, he saw all of his gear sitting where he normally parked his truck. He left the truck in the driveway instead, and brought the pizza inside. Mary was in the kitchen going over the next month's bills when she heard the garage door open. "Jenny, dinner!" she called. "What are we having?" She heard her daughter call back. Mary sighed. "We're having a big pot of get your ass down here!" she yelled as the door leading from the garage to the hallway opened up. "Okay, my ass is here, what's up?" asked Tom, making his way to the kitchen, kissing his wife on the top of the head as he passed by. "Not much, how was work? "Same shit, different day," answered Tom. They heard a call from upstairs. "Is Dad home?" Mary yelled back, slightly annoyed, "Get down here and find out!" Tom glanced around. "I thought you said Bruce was here." "He was, but he wanted to get some beer before you left in the morning. You know, in case you get to the hunting grounds before seven. He should be back in a few," Mary responded. Jenny finally appeared in the kitchen, holding something behind her back. "Hi Daddy!" she said. Jenny was very much a daddy's girl. Her father was her best friend; the person she goes to for advice. About anything, even stuff she should really go to her mother for. Not that he minded, of course. Anything he did, she wanted to as well. Except his job, of course. She may have been looking forward to this hunting vacation even more than Tom himself. "Hey sweetie, whatcha got there?" "Hmm? Oh, nothing, except HAPPY EARLY FATHER'S DAY!" Jenny proceeded to throw the wrapped package she had at him. Tom fumbled it a bit before he caught it. Jenny always gave his gifts to him like this, shouting the occasion before throwing the gifts. He found it amusing though. "Early?" he asked. "Well, Mom's not coming with us, so I figured..." "Okay, makes sense," he replied, tearing open the wrapping paper to reveal a new black leather case, containing a hatchet. "You like it, right?" Jenny asked when Tom didn't say anything. Tom just stared at the hatchet for a moment before exclaiming, "You threw a hatchet at me?" Jenny raised her hands defensively. "It's in a case!" "It's still a hatchet!" "All right, you two," Mary interrupted. "Eat up and get to bed, both of you." "What? Mom! It's only 6:30!" "And we're leaving at three in the morning. You heard your mother, eat, then bed." "Ugh, fine." As Jenny stepped forward for her pizza, Tom gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I love the hatchet, by the way. Thanks, sweetie." Jenny smiled. "You're welcome, Daddy" Tom heard the front door open. "Your Uncle Bruce must be back. We're gonna go load up the truck. Be in bed by the time we're done, okay?" "Okay, Daddy." She gave him a quick hug before resuming her dinner. Tom turned to Mary. "She's packed too, right?" Mary nodded. "It's all out in the garage. I got some books for you guys packed too." "Thanks, babe, you're the best," Tom said, heading to the living room to meet with his brother. "Yeah, I know!" Author's Note Be brutal in the comments. If I don't get any criticism, I won't get any better. Then you'll be stuck reading a shitty story. The first chapter is short on ponies. I don't really need to introduce them. If you don't already know who they are, you're on the wrong website.
DepartureIt was almost three in the morning when they pulled out of the Shell station. Tom filled the Tundra's gas tank while Bruce and Jenny went inside to get some cigarettes and coffee. Less than twenty minutes later, they left their home city of San Antonio, Texas, heading west on IH-10. Their destination was the Twin Buttes Reservoir, near San Angelo. Bruce was in the passenger's seat admiring Tom's new hatchet before placing it back in it's case and handing it behind him to Jenny. "That's real nice, how'd you get the money for something like that?" he asked. "Drugs. I sell drugs," she replied with a straight face. "Great, now you can help out with the bills," Tom said glancing at her in the rearview mirror. Jenny smiled. "Yeah, you wish." "You all set, Twilight?" Spike asked his friend. Twilight looked away from the telescope. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose," she answered, nervously. Princess Luna stepped forward. "You realize that you do not have to do this. Nopony is forcing you to do anything." "Thank you, Princess, but I really want to do this. Sure, it might be just another ball of rock and ice, but then again, it might not be! And as Princess of Friendship, It is my duty to befriend whatever is out there," she stated proudly with a hoof on her chest. Spike threw his claws up. "That's what you're worried about? Space rocks?" Twilight looked down at her hooves. "No, I'm actually more worried about meeting new lifeforms. What do I say to them? What if they can't understand me?" Twilight started raising her voice and talking faster. "What if they don't like me? What if they eat ponies? What if-" "What if they don't?" Luna interrupted. Twilight smiled. "That's why I want to go!" "Very good, Twilight," Luna nodded. "Now, take your crystal." Twilight walked over the the bowl, which contained a few dozen of the crystals. After all, it never hurt to have extras, just in case. In case of what? I couldn't tell you. Still, better to have it and not need it... Grabbing one, she stood before Luna and Spike. "Wish me luck," she said nervously. "Good luck, Twilight," Luna said, proudly. Spike merely smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be fine!" Twilight got a determined look on her face, and instantly vanished. Only to suddenly reappear. "You were gone two seconds! What hap- Twilight, you okay?" Spike asked, concerned, as he noticed her wide eyes and heavy breathing. Twilight took a moment to calm herself as Luna asked, "Did you find something?" "I'm not sure. I panicked and smashed the crystal before I could get a good look at it" Luna levitated two crystals over to them She attached one to her hoof, and gave the other to Twilight. "Then let us go see what it was!" she said, smiling. Twilight grabbed a crystal,and allowed herself to be teleported by Luna to the planet seen through the telescope. Luna glanced around at the barren landscape, clearly unimpressed. "So, um Twilight? Do you see what spooked you?" she asked, raising a brow. "No, maybe it was in a different area," Twilight said, looking around. "Wait here a moment." she said before vanishing. She showed up again a few minutes later. "There's nothing here! It's just another ice ball! I teleported all over this planet and nothing!" Twilight smashed her crystal in frustration, sending her back to the castle in Canterlot. Luna smashed her crystal as well, following her back. Twilight let out a growl of frustration. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I went to the wrong planet!" Luna's eyes widened at that. But her surprise quickly gave way to a fit of giggles. "You went to the wrong planet? How did you even do that?" "I don't know, and it's not funny!" By now, Luna was laughing hysterically. "Ha, you went to the wrong planet!" "Spike! Say goodbye to Princess Luna, we're going home!" Twilight said with a frustrated sigh before teleporting them to her castle in Ponyville, leaving Luna to laugh her flank off. Once at hope, Spike asked, "So, what did you see anyway?" "All I saw are these two really big bright lights, moving very fast, coming towards me." The large black pickup was cruising along the highway, as it had been for the last two hours. The road stretched ahead, with only the headlights cutting through the darkness. A small orange light appeared from the top of it's driver's side window, only to drop and be swept back behind the speeding vehicle. "Nice, Dad. Start a forest fire, why don't you?" "One cigarette butt isn't gonna start a fire," Tom replied, rolling his eyes while reaching for his now-cold coffee. "Well, it could. You don't know. It's happened before," Jenny retorted. Tom, only half listening, grimaced as he took a sip. Cold coffee tasted terrible. "Here, I'll make sure it goes out then," he stated as he tossed the cup out the window before rolling it back up. "Oh yeah, much better," Jenny said, sarcastically. "Open that back window. See if you can reach the cooler from there and grab me something, will ya?" "Sure, Daddy," she said, turning around. "You can't get it," Bruce spoke up. "It's back by the tailgate." "Oh," was Tom's reply. "Fuck it then." "Don't worry, I have some back here." Jenny reached forward between the two front seats with a bottle of coke in her hand. "Thanks. sweetie," Tom said. Jenny settled back into her seat with a smile. Bruce reached over and took the wheel as Tom opened his bottle. After a drink, he pulled out another cigarette and lit it before taking the wheel back and offering one to his brother. "Nah, I got my own." "Yeah, but your smokes are shit." "I like my shit, Tom," was Bruce's reply. "Okay, if you-SHIT!" Tom exclaimed as something appeared in the road, right in front of his truck. He spun the wheel to the right while slamming the brakes; the tires squealing. The thing on the road suddenly vanished, which engulfed the truck in a deep purple flash for a split second. Tom very quickly noticed that the road vanished as well. All he saw in his headlights were trees as the truck barreled downhill, its heavy weight preventing it from stopping quickly enough. Jenny gave a small shriek the truck suddenly lurched to the right, with it's left headlight shattered as it glanced off a tree trunk. Tom, slightly panicked, over-steered when trying to correct the vehicle's path. This caused the truck to slide sideways, and the heavy vehicle threatened to roll. Without warning, the truck came to a sudden stop. Jenny screamed, and Tom took advantage of the moment to put the truck in park and yank up the parking brake. All three passengers we breathing heavily. Bruce was the first to break the silence. "Anyone hurt?" The three looked themselves over, then looked each other over. Aside from a few bumps and bruises, they seemed to be fine. Bruce looked over to his brother, quite irritated. "What the hell was that?"
Arrival"I can't see shit out here," Bruce said as he climbed out of the truck behind Tom. Tom just turned on his phone's flashlight app and motioned for Bruce to do the same. "Yeah, I left mine at home," was Bruce's response. Tom stared at him for a moment. "Why the hell would you do that? "I didn't think I needed it," was the answer. Tom really wanted to slap the stupid out of his brother sometimes. "You didn't think that three people, one of them a fourteen year old girl, wandering for a few days in the woods, with GUNS I might add, would ever require some type of quick communication with emergency services in case one of us shoots ourselves in the foot?" "You got your phone, so I don't see why you're bitching," Bruce shot back. "God dammit Bruce," Tom muttered, shaking his head as Jenny came out of the truck. "I have mine, Dad, but it's not gonna do us any good," she said, handing him her phone. Tom looked at her phone and just sighed. The screen was completely shattered. "Fucking hell." He handed the phone back. "At least it's insured. Put it in the glove box." While she did that, the two men went to the back of the truck. Tom held the phone for light as Bruce rummaged around for the lantern and flashlights. Jenny joined them back there as Bruce found the lantern. After a bit more searching, he pulled out the three flashlights they brought, as well as one small can of propane. He handed the flashlights to the other two before screwing the propane can to the bottom of the lantern. He then took out his lighter and ignited the lantern before going around front and placing it on the hood of the truck. He then grabbed his flashlight while Tom turned the app on his phone off. "So where the hell are we?" Bruce finally asked. Tom was bringing up Google Maps. "I'm checking, gimme a sec." No Signal. Of course. Tom sighed again. "Should we call Mom, or something?" Jenny asked. "Yes, we should, there's no signal though, sweetie." "Well then," Bruce stated, "I'm going back up to the highway to see if I can flag someone down." When Bruce left, Tom lit a cigarette and decided to finally check out the damage to his truck. He grabbed the lantern and stood in front of the vehicle. The left side was completely smashed in, the headlight on that side shattered, and the bumper was gone. He went around to the passenger side, and saw the truck had slammed into a large tree, which was now sporting quite a large horizontal crack across the trunk. The right side of the truck bed was smashed, wrapping around the trunk. The rear tire was flat. The insurance company would total it out, he just knew it. Jenny walked around and stood next to her father, looking at the truck. "Wow, Dad. That's, um, it's..." She couldn't come up with the right words. She knew how much he loved that truck. "It's -" "Fucked." Tom finished for her. "Yes, I know. I can see it from here sweetie." Jenny decided it was best not to say anything at all at that point. Her father was irritated. She didn't want to make him angry. She watched him go into the back seat, reach under, and pull out a small black bag. Tom pointed to a spot under the tailgate. "Shine your light over here," he ordered while pulling a long bar out of the bag. While she held the light, he located a small hole to insert the bar, and began turning it counterclockwise to lower the spare tire. After pulling it out, he raised the cord that held the tire up. He didn't raise it fully. He was going to put the flat tire there, so there was no point. There was no way he could change the tire where the truck was at now, so he just put it, along with the bag, in the back seat. The process took about ten minutes. Afterwards, he pointed his flashlight up the hill. "Where the hell is your uncle?" It took a few more minutes before he saw Bruce coming down the hill, dragging something behind him. "Head's up!" Bruce called as he let go of whatever he was dragging, Tom stepped to the side just as his front bumper slammed into the side of the pickup. At least he had it back. "I hit the end of the tracks, but there's no road, highway, or anything," Bruce said while helping Tom throw the bumper in the back of the truck. "I don't know where the hell we are, but it sure as hell ain't near where we should be." "The hell do you mean, no road?" Tom asked "Exactly what it sounds like. The hill just keeps going up at the end of the tire tracks." "Are you fucki-" Tom started to say, before he saw his daughter looking nervously at the two men. "Sweetie, wait in the truck while we figure something out, ok?" "Okay..." Jenny replied as she climbed into the truck. Tom turned Bruce away from the truck and spoke in a softer tone so they didn't upset the young girl. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, It's a big joke. I just dragged your fucking bumper around the goddamn woods for fun. You think I like being out in Bumfuck, Nowhere, with a wrecked-ass truck?" It was Tom's turn to sigh. "Okay, so it was a dumb question. So, what do you think?" Bruce looked around for a moment. "Well, I think we should sit tight til' it's light out. We can head back up the hill then." "Alright, sounds like a plan," Tom said before the two men turned and got back into the truck. Once inside, Tom relayed the info to Jenny. The three decided to just nap until daytime.
