Changeling Space Program
Dr. Goddard would have mocked it contemptuously. Dr. von Brawn would have questioned its suitability in quiet but firm tones. Chrysalis would have laughed at pony weakness. But to a pony’s eyes, the big pink vehicle with the big pointy nose and three enormous curled fins was simply perfect, right down to the broad hatch in the side and the row of heart-shaped windows.
In the top of her head, Cherry Berry knew the design was impractical. The rest of her, though, loved it to bits and wanted a ride in it.
In the top of her head, Cherry Berry knew the design was impractical. The rest of her, though, loved it to bits and wanted a ride in it.
—the first appearance of Amicitas, Chapter 6
"There's a pony in Horseton who feeds me for who I am!"
—changeling perspective on loving relationships, Chapter 12
“Where ponies concerned-“ Rutherford began.
“- the more stupid it sounds-“ said Ember.
“- the more likely it is to work,” Grampa finished.
“- the more stupid it sounds-“ said Ember.
“- the more likely it is to work,” Grampa finished.
—three Genre Savvy rulers, Chapter 13
The Maretian:
I learned an interesting factoid from my guests today: they’ve only been flying into space for four years.
That’s right. They went from Sputnik and Mercury to warp drive in four years. And in that four years they have had DOZENS of flights, and apparently half of them included Cherry in some fashion.
In fact, if I’m understanding this right, Cherry has landed on both their homeworld’s moons. That means I’m sharing this Hab with the pony version of Neil Armstrong. Or possibly Alan Shepard. Or, considering the sheer number of launches, the pony version of the Mercury Seven, the New Nine, and the Next Thirteen all at once.
But apparently this is Cherry’s twenty-eighth flight in four years. Let’s say they launched their first rocket on January 1, 1006 and launched the flight that landed them here on December 31, 1009 (their dates). That’s an average of one launch every seven weeks or so.
One launch every seven weeks. For just Cherry Berry.
I don’t think NASA has allowed the same astronaut to launch more than once every two YEARS.
And how much training can you cram into seven weeks? Less, really, since Cherry Berry has apparently got almost two hundred days in space counting her time here. I was training as part of Ares-III for five YEARS.
Much becomes clear about my guests. Many of the questions I’ve been asking about them now have a simple, easy to understand, impossible to refute explanation.
Specifically: these ponies are all CRAZY!
That’s right. They went from Sputnik and Mercury to warp drive in four years. And in that four years they have had DOZENS of flights, and apparently half of them included Cherry in some fashion.
In fact, if I’m understanding this right, Cherry has landed on both their homeworld’s moons. That means I’m sharing this Hab with the pony version of Neil Armstrong. Or possibly Alan Shepard. Or, considering the sheer number of launches, the pony version of the Mercury Seven, the New Nine, and the Next Thirteen all at once.
But apparently this is Cherry’s twenty-eighth flight in four years. Let’s say they launched their first rocket on January 1, 1006 and launched the flight that landed them here on December 31, 1009 (their dates). That’s an average of one launch every seven weeks or so.
One launch every seven weeks. For just Cherry Berry.
I don’t think NASA has allowed the same astronaut to launch more than once every two YEARS.
And how much training can you cram into seven weeks? Less, really, since Cherry Berry has apparently got almost two hundred days in space counting her time here. I was training as part of Ares-III for five YEARS.
Much becomes clear about my guests. Many of the questions I’ve been asking about them now have a simple, easy to understand, impossible to refute explanation.
Specifically: these ponies are all CRAZY!
—Mark Watney, MISSION LOG – SOL 47
ESA: QC (Chrysalis)– Tell DF (Dragonfly) scheme harder, over.
AMICITAS: Repeat, please? Over.
ESA: QC says DF needs to scheme harder, over.
AMICITAS: DF is already scheming as hard as she can, over.
ESA:QC – That’s not hard enough. Out.
AMICITAS: Repeat, please? Over.
ESA: QC says DF needs to scheme harder, over.
AMICITAS: DF is already scheming as hard as she can, over.
ESA:QC – That’s not hard enough. Out.
—Water telegraph transcript, Sol 65
“Sardines. Anchovies. I like anchovies. Eat whole. Eat fins. Eat heads. Crunch, crunch, crunch.”
—Spitfire, Sol 91
I need to know enough to get to the point where my questions rise to the level of stupid.
—Venkat Kapoor trying to get a handle on the fundamentals of magic, Sol 101
Screw the laws of physics, we have a magic unicorn.
—Sol 110 log entry
With that Venkat left engineers to do what engineers do best: argue about why something can’t be done until, suddenly, they’ve done it.
—Sol 191
Sometimes I get the feeling that I’m not really alive. I’m just an animated sprite in a resource-management video game. Balance your magic reserves, food stocks, and sanity level, and see how long you can keep Mark Watney alive! Buy now and get the Pastel Colored Aliens DLC for only $4.99!
If I am a video game character, I wish the user would go online and download the fan-made Dejah Thoris mod. Just sayin’.
If I am a video game character, I wish the user would go online and download the fan-made Dejah Thoris mod. Just sayin’.
—Sol 193 log entry
I don't know what that is, but it's not a rock.
— Summation of Sojourner's analysis of Dragonfly's cocoon, Sol 233
We’ve got tons of nothing to do and not much time left to do it.
— Mark Watney, Sol 360
WATNEY: Hey! Geeks are cool! And I’m more than a geek! I’m an astronaut. Astronauts are always cool.
STARLIGHT GLIMMER: Well, sure, if you want to limit your ambitions, Mark. But don’t feel bad. Maybe one day soon you can hope to achieve... unicorn cool.
STARLIGHT GLIMMER: Well, sure, if you want to limit your ambitions, Mark. But don’t feel bad. Maybe one day soon you can hope to achieve... unicorn cool.
— Sol 513
DRAGONFLY (describing what was once Amicitas): And, well, you can’t see it now, but the outside of the ship looked a lot different, all pink with hearts and, well, bleah.
CHERRY: Bleah??
DRAGONFLY: Well, yeah, I mean really, it was like... well, how would you feel about a hay-covered spaceship?
CHERRY: Kind of confused?
CHERRY: Bleah??
DRAGONFLY: Well, yeah, I mean really, it was like... well, how would you feel about a hay-covered spaceship?
CHERRY: Kind of confused?
— Sol 513
This entire planet, Mark decided, needs a ring of orbiting signs pointing down that read, THIS WAY LIES MADNESS.
— Mark Watney experiencing Equestria
