The Road Trip of A-Holes!

by Sense of Humor

Hooked on A Feeling

The next 21 hours were definitely eventful, as they came to notice. With Ego vanquished permanently, the trip home went without a hitch for the most part. Quill went around the ship with a different perspective on Yondu, one that had a positive effect on both parties. They talked more frequently with each other, as Trixie would come to overhear, often swapping stories of adventures that they hadn't told anyone else. Trixie was very happy that she was around when they escaped the imploding planet--given how Yondu acted then, she was certain he'd have given Quill the space suit and let himself die. No, it was much better for him to be alive to receive the other Ravagers.

Unbeknownst to the others, Rocket had sent out a message to the ex-pirates explaining how he aided the Guardians in saving the universe--probably going into a sort of exaggerated retelling of the story just to make him look good and all. It was about nine hours before a response was received in the form of an entire fleet of Ravagers showing up--though they were stationed in non-threatening positions around the Benetar. Even then, Yondu feared that a hostile conflict was imminent and went forth to speak with whoever boarded. It was someone entirely unexpected given his reaction to the aging man walking up to him, regret brimming in his eyes and a glinting silver badge in one hand. It was pinned to Yondu's jacket, then the two conversed for a very long time. When he was given a moment, Yondu explained everything to them with an emotional voice.

The man named Stakar not only did the honors of reinstating Yondu into the Ravager organization but also promoted him to their level; Part of the Chief Council. Yondu reckoned it would be enough to earn him another fin and arrow, but a little extra asking around granted two more fins and arrows. One for the likes of Kraglin to use as his right hand man, and the other in case he goofed up and accidentally destroyed his own arrow like an idiot. A little tearful yet proud, Kraglin eagerly accepted his newfound position and hurried along onto the ship. Yondu stayed the longest to speak with Quill, giving him the proper goodbyes that he should have given him a long time ago. Near the end of their farewell, he pulled something out from his pocket.

"Oh, boy. Almost forgot this doohickey, " He placed it into Starlord's hand and nodded. "Try that on for size."

Quill examined the device in his hand with a look of pure shock, his hand gently traveling over the small metal casing in his hand and the futuristic buttons as well. The whole thing had a yellow paint look to it, and almost seemed to glow in his hand.

"Found this for you in a junker shop. Always said you’d come back to the fold someday...dint realise you found your own."

Peter blinked slowly. "...What is it?"

Yondu shrugged. "From what I reckon, it’s called a Zune. It’s what everybody’s listening to on Earth nowadays. It’s got about 300 songs on it."

Quill felt like his knees were going to give out. "300?"

"Heh heh. I figured you'd like that, kid." Yondu placed on a hand on his shoulder and gave a lopsided grin. "I sure am gonna miss having ya, son."

Peter smiled slowly as well and shrugged. "Ah, I'm sure we're gonna meet up again some time. Who knows when."

And so he departed with his group of Ravagers, ready to begin a newly cleansed lifestyle...ironically by stealing more stuff from people. C'est la vie.

His son and niece didn't view him any differently.

---

Nebula intended to leave while they were all sleeping, so as to avoid any awkward goodbyes. She packed up what little of hers she had, then stuffed a spare food ration in her bag and made her swift escape. She took a few turns down one stretch of hallways for a moment, then veered into a downward spiral staircase to get to the lowest hangar. This would be where the small escape pods would be stationed, enough room for just one to fly and enough fuel to make decent time from planet to planet. Nebula decided she would first stop off at a refueling station to keep the pod's fuel up and to stock herself with more food. Then it would be a short trip to--

"No goodbyes, then?"

Nebula stopped in her tracks with a metallic sigh, forcing air from her cybernetic lungs. "That was the plan."

She turned to see two familiar figures expectantly walking up to her, likely having followed in secret the moment she escaped. Maud looked her over as Gamora uncrossed her arms. "Are you all set for the trip?"

"I am. I do not have much of my own, " Nebula explained quietly. "But it makes for light luggage, at least."

"You have me." Gamora started, gaining her sister's attention with that one sentence. "Nebula… I was a just child...like you. I was concerned with staying alive until the next day, every day. That doesn't make it right at all...but its what I did. I never considered what Thanos was doing to you every day, even now. I’m...I'm trying to make it right." The jade warrior hated that even she couldn't quite read the expression on Nebula's face then and there. "There are little girls like you… across the universe who are in danger. You could stay with us and help them."

Nebula slowly nodded, and Gamora first thought she was agreeing with her offer. "I will help them…" She blinked. "by killing Thanos."

Gamora stepped closer to her. "I don’t know if that’s possible. "

Nebula tensed up from the growing proximity, sneering. "We killed a celestial being. Anything is possible." Her green sister reached out towards her and Nebula prepared a deadly fist to strike at her with. "What are you--?!"

Gamora pulled her in against her, then hugged her tightly. Nebula's half cybernetic mind drew a blank at this, her features going slack as she struggled to process what was going on and what her sister was doing. If that wasn't enough to completely stump her, she could feel her tears soaking into the jacket and feel her arms hug tighter. Nebula's fist dissolved as her own eyes welled up with liquid, her heart hammering hard enough to pound against her ribs. Gamora's gentle whisper reached her ears. "You will always be my sister. " The luphimoid completed the hug with her own arms, held Gamora there with her for a long time.

Maud finally had her fill of the touching scene and coughed. Just like that, Gamora and Nebula awkwardly pushed each other away and wiped their wet eyes as though absolutely nothing had happened. The cyborg began to back up slowly, wordlessly until the pony signaled for her to stop. Curiously, Nebula approached as Maud unsheathed something from the wooly neck of her sweater. She took the small slip of folded paper balanced perfectly on her hoof, opening it to look at the contents.

Nebula slowly tore her eyes away. "Your Rock Soup Recipe?"

"Yes." Maud nodded, smiling softly and yet somewhat wider than usual. "Something for you to enjoy while you're out there. Take care of it."

Nebula looked down at the paper once more, then looked at the pony once again. She almost felt like crying again, but she miraculously steeled her nerves. "I will keep this forever...Thank you, Maud. For...for everything."

Maud smiled.

---

21 hours since that final fight.

21 hours since they saved the universe.

Finally, they landed in the grass of Ponyville's outerfields. The ponies left the ship and began their trek on the grass with a strange thoughtfulness to their every move. It was so surreal for them to feel the warm grass of Equus beneath their hooves after so many days of being in foreign places. Maud, Derpy and Trixie exchanged glances as they stepped further and further out into the grass of the hill and took a good look around. Despite the fact that it was day now as opposed to the night they left, everything looked exactly the way it was. Peaceful, basically untouched by the hooves of time. No pony spoke for a while, even as the Guardians wandered out slowly to stand with them. One might guess it was because of the scenery, keeping them silent in all its vast glory. But they were only silent because of the hardest part of the journey this far.

Saying goodbye.

Rocket awkwardly walked up to Derpy's side, and the pony slowly turned to face him. He sighed and rubbed the back of his furry neck as Groot, Drax and Mantis approached her as well. "So. I guess, uh...I guess this is it, then."

Derpy blinked, her eyes a little watery. "Y-yeah." She sniffled as a tearful Groot hugged her foreleg. "A-Awww. I'm gonna miss you too."

Mantis frowned sadly. "I'm going to miss your giddy emotions, smol pony."

"Drax and I were thinking...uh, about it, y'know? Maybe you keep this," Rocket patted the Domino Gun vest and handed her a smaller device. "And keep this. Even the Guardians of The Galaxy need backup sometimes. We'll call ya and your friends, when the universe needs saving. And then--then we'll pick you up. Of course."

Drax nodded. "In a ship. Not with our bare hands. We can't fly. Or breathe in space."

As Derpy laughed at that and talked with them some more, Gamora carefully approached Maud and knelt down in front of her. "...I told you not to try it; to fix what Nebula and I had. If you had listened to me...we'd be right where we were years ago, at each other's throats. I...I didn't think I'd ever get to...hug her. Ever." Gamora admitted quietly and held out her hand to the grey earth pony. "...I hope we meet again someday. And maybe Boulder too."

Maud smiled and nodded slowly. "Boulder says he'd like that. I would too."

As they shook, hand in hoof and hoof in hand, Quill sniffled and forced himself to actually go through with this. He sighed heavily as he got down on one knee, scratching his scruffy beard to appear nonchalant. "Man. It's been a weird couple of--"

Trixie cut him off with the tightest hug he'd ever gotten in his life, startling him into silence. If anyone had told Quill he'd go from making small talk with a seemingly stuck up, prissy unicorn to adopting said unicorn into the weirdest family ever to getting this heartfelt hug...well, he would need some convincing to believe it. Quill smiled as he hugged her back for some time, then let go for her to part. Trixie grinned brightly at him. "I'll miss ya, Starlord."

"Eh, " Quill shrugged softly. "I think you can call me Quill anytime you want, Cuz."

---

Gamora flipped a switch on the dashboard, and the song came on.

"When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around~"

Rocket sat in the co-pilot seat and carefully lifted Groot into his lap, wiping his tears off his bark cheeks and trying to get him to smile. As Quill passed him, he looked up. "Hey, Quill. Lemme see the long distance communicator, "

The ship lifted off into the sky slowly, and Quill smiled as he waved to the three ponies he flew over. "The what?"

"The LDC. I wanna talk to Derpy for a sec, "

"Uh, what does It look like again?"

The Raccoon frowned at him. "What do you mean--What does it look like--You're the one who has it!"

"I mean, I lost it a long time ago, so…"

"Oh, baby, give me one more chaaaaaance~..."

Rocket facepawed and gritted his teeth tightly. "So you're saying you lost the only means we have of communicating with them?"

"Wait, what? That was…" Quill looked back at the ground as the passed over something apparently recognizable to him. The ship lurched as the captain pulled it into a turn around motion, then slowed it down some more. "Yo, Rocket! Look who it is!"

Rocket carefully ambled out of the chair and waltzed up to the nearest window, growling even then. "Don't change the subject on me, man! I paid a good chunka units for that LDC, and you're gonna pay back every…" When he looked out of the window, he blinked in surprise and groaned. "Oh. Him again…"

---

"And then what did you, Mr. The Duck~...?"

"Yes, tell us~!"

A cheesy smile was permanently plastered to Howard's bill by this point, as he laid back on the town's bench with a chuckle or two. Two of the planet's smoking hot dames--Lyra and Bon-Bon or something-- were each held by one of his arms as they laid against him. If getting his ride stolen on random planets landed him in fun situations like this, he would have to do this more often! He crossed one leg of the other as he played with Lyra's mane. "Well, it's like I was telling you ladies! I went inside the building without a second thought, saved everyone from the fire and uh, helped a puppy too!"

Bon-Bon rubbed the feathers of his chest with a sultry smile. "Oh, Howard~...You're so brave."

Laura rested her head on his shoulder. "And Masculine…"

"Eh, what can I say?" The giant duck closed his eyes and leaned backwards. "You're all outta luck until you've gone duck."

"HEY HOWARD!"

Huh? Someone on this colorful planet of ponies actually knew his name! But who? Snorting in surprise, Howard looked up to see a really big Ravager ship floating just above them. The Guardians of Galaxy were apparent inside the giant vessel, with Quill and Rocket looking down on him. "Hey! We got your ship on board! If you want it, hurry up and get on board, ya feathery bastard!"

"Holy smokes!" Howard lept up from the bench, paused and rushed back for the two Equine hotties on the bench. He gave them both quick pecks, much to their amusement and giggling. "Hey, was nice meeting you dames! Catch you on the flip side!"

The two of them waved off the giant duck as he rushed aboard the ship as quick as a flash.

---

Maud, Trixie and Derpy waved back at the ship as it began to fly off behind the horizon and off to do who knew what. Derpy was the first one to break the silence as the ship finally disappeared into the atmosphere, smiling widely. "What a semi-week it's been."

Trixie exchanged a look with Maud. "...What?"

"A semi-week! Three days! Or...maybe it was two days." Derby trailed off and rubbed her temple. "I can't really tell for sure. Maybe it was two and a half days?"

"It doesn't matter. " Maud answered her with the slightest of shrugs. She admired the blindingly beautiful day once again, then the two friends beside her. "So...now that we're back...what are you two gonna do?"

Derpy flared her wings a little, ruffling the feathers. "My vacation from Mail Delivery is probably gonna be over soon. So I'll just enjoy what's left of this day."

"Well, first, I'm gonna find a new home. Maybe I can scrape together enough bits for a bigger wagon." Trixie confirmed as she began to walk over the peak of the hill. When the others followed her up, she continued to explain her plans. "Maybe after I'll try to look into all the possible fathers I have. Maybe it's a super powerful Alicorn!"

They finally finished their trek up the side of the hill only to find that one of Trixie's plans would have to be marked off the list. For when they fit got to the top of the hill, they discovered Trixie's wagon a short distance away--fully intact, with all the party items set up in nearly the exact way Trixie had envisioned. But as if that wasn't surprising enough, then the assembled individuals scattered about the area certainly did. Twilight Sparkle and her five friends, Discord and Starlight were all gathered somewhat around the wagon. They all appeared to be chatting idly amongst themselves until the three shocked ponies approached close enough for them to notice.

The instant she noticed Trixie, Starlight squealed loudly and rushed forward for a hug. "Trix! You're back!"

"Trixie sees you're back too!" As happy as she was, the powerful showmare was still very, very surprised at seeing everything look exactly the same. "But...my wagon...and the cake, and the...how…?"

Starlight smiled. "Well, when I got back to town, I was really hankering for a good cupcake! But imagine my surprise when I found out a certain somepony left me a cake to pick up myself! Mrs.Cake said she preserved it since you didn't show up yourself."

Fluttershy piped up next, enjoying a particularly good cookie. "And then when she brought the cake to us, we just had to look for you! But then we saw the destroyed Wagon and Pinkie saw that Maud was missing too! We assumed you two went off to get a repair pony! But I guess you got Derpy!"

The aforementioned pegasus blinked in confusion. "Then how is the wagon fixed?"

Fluttershy gestured to a certain being of mass power, grinning from ear to ear. "Discord did that!"

Before Trixie could even begin to form the thought of inhaling oxygen, the wily Draconequus gave a whooping laugh and poofed into another one of his silly forms. He looked like a dancing overly muscular human now, clad in only a kilt of leaves, some impressive tattoos and a giant fish hook. "What can I saaaaaay except, " He sang proudly. "You're Welcooome!"

A smiling Pinkie Pie, dressed in an overly glittery crab outfit, hopped out of Discord's hair and scuttled across the ground. "Shinyyyyy~."

A moment of confused, very awkward silence passed as everypony started at Pinkie. Then Twilight coughed to break the silence and blinked towards the creator of the whole party. "Well, sorry you came all this way for nothing, Derpy."

"Nah, Trixie and Maud have been with me in space!"

"Eh?" Starlight tilted her head. "What exactly have you three been doing?"

Trixie looked at Derpy. Derpy looked at Maud. Maud looked at Trixie, then Derpy. They all smiled in unison and sighed:

"It's a long story."

The End.

Author's Note:

After Credits scenes in the next chapter will be uploaded later today!

Comments

[JDPrime22]

WOOHOO! What an ending to a fabulous adventure for our three ponies! Gotta say, that little goodbye really got me.

Trixie grinned brightly at him. "I'll miss ya, Starlord."

"Eh, " Quill shrugged softly. "I think you can call me Quill anytime you want, Cuz."

The feels, man. How dare you...

What a fantastic little sendoff, and it looks like Howard got a little busy in the meantime. Hmmm... guess we'll see where his journey leads. Overall, great work on this story, Sense! Can't wait to see what you got cooked up later on...

[Sense of Humor]

9646445

I can't wait to see what I've got cooked up too!

[FolkloreBrony]

9646445

9646493
We all can't wait to see what we have cooking

[Paulli]

9646493

[Paulli]

9646493

THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY... AND DERPY, TRIXIE AND MAUD WILL RETURN

---

[Sense of Humor]

9647230
*return

[Rhettbutler]

Peter smiled slowly as well and shrugged. "Ah, I'm sure we're gonna meet up again some time. Who knows when."

Couldn't help but think of this song when they said that.

A cheesy smile was permanently plastered to Howard's bill by this point, as he laid back on the town's bench with a chuckle or two. Two of the planet's smoking hot dames--Lyra and Bon-Bon or something-- were each held by one of his arms as they laid against him. If getting his ride stolen on random planets landed him in fun situations like this, he would have to do this more often! He crossed one leg of the other as he played with Lyra's mane. "Well, it's like I was telling you ladies! I went inside the building without a second thought, saved everyone from the fire and uh, helped a puppy too!"

Apparently he is in the last battle in Endgame. I didn't see it until one time on Pinterest and saw someone noticed.

"It's a long story."

Nice ending

[Rhettbutler]

9647222
Great and fitting song
For both the movie and this story

[Rhettbutler]

9647222
I just realized this song is quite fitting for both of Steve's and Tony's endings