Nothing Left

by Captain Obvious

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.

Comments

[Fracturedheart]

Looks good to me. Sorry for not slamming it.

[phallus of malice]

You piece of shit,
I should report this to the the fucking DEA for how dank this fucking jizz-fest of a story is you fucking land-whale.