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* ExactWords: After Rainbow Dash’s Almost Bad Day, Pinkie withdraws from active work with the Equestrian Space Agency, declaring that she couldn’t set hoof at Cape Friendship again and limiting herself to preparing food. However, that doesn’t mean she can’t show up at Horseton Space Center to help out with robotic control systems.
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* TalkingToThemself: Pinkie Pie’s internal monologue in Ch 11 bifurcates into an argument/discussion.
-->''It shouldn’t even be a question. We-\\
Wait a minute. This is me talking to myself, right? So shouldn’t it be I instead of we?\\
I don’t know. Talking to myself is so confusing!''
-->''It shouldn’t even be a question. We-\\
Wait a minute. This is me talking to myself, right? So shouldn’t it be I instead of we?\\
I don’t know. Talking to myself is so confusing!''
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Helps to say who one is talking about...
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* PostVictoryCollapse: After successfully piloting a fraught[[note]]Against Cherry Berry's advice and having a rough time of it[[/note]] [=CSP=] Mission 5 and keeping up a nonchalant front while being chewed out by Cherry Berry...
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* PostVictoryCollapse: After Chrysalis, after successfully piloting a fraught[[note]]Against Cherry Berry's advice and having a rough time of it[[/note]] [=CSP=] Mission 5 and keeping up a nonchalant front while being chewed out by Cherry Berry...
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* PostVictoryCollapse: After successfully piloting a fraught[[note]]Against Cherry Berry's advice and having a rough time of it[[/note]] [=CSP=] Mission 5 and keeping up a nonchalant front while being chewed out by Cherry Berry...
-->[She] resumed her walk, calm, cool, collected, opening the admin building door with her magic, stepping into the portable building, and closing it behind her.\\
Only alone among the deserted desks, with the door locked, did she allow herself to slowly flop over onto her side.\\
A few seconds later she curled up into a fetal ball as the shakes began.
-->[She] resumed her walk, calm, cool, collected, opening the admin building door with her magic, stepping into the portable building, and closing it behind her.\\
Only alone among the deserted desks, with the door locked, did she allow herself to slowly flop over onto her side.\\
A few seconds later she curled up into a fetal ball as the shakes began.
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* HiddenDepths: Space Tourist Jet Set, as owner of an airship construction firm, has several useful suggestions for improvement for the [=CSP=] passenger module.
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* HiddenDepths: Space Tourist Jet Set, as owner of an airship construction firm, has several useful suggestions for improvement for improvements to the [=CSP=] passenger module.module.
* KlatchianCoffee: During the work up to Luna's space tourism flight, she arranges for her own special blend of beans and the equipment to brew it. After an unfortunate incident when another tourist accidentally drank a cup and subsequently attempted to become the first griffon to perform a sonic rainboom...
-->...labels were added to the coffee pots: REGULAR, DECAF, and WAIVER REQUIRED.
* KlatchianCoffee: During the work up to Luna's space tourism flight, she arranges for her own special blend of beans and the equipment to brew it. After an unfortunate incident when another tourist accidentally drank a cup and subsequently attempted to become the first griffon to perform a sonic rainboom...
-->...labels were added to the coffee pots: REGULAR, DECAF, and WAIVER REQUIRED.
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* OhNoNotAgain: Cherry Berry’s reaction when Flim and Flam show up at Horseton Space Center and start singing about their mobile TV production facility.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The ''Look At It!'' documentary covering [=CSP=] mission 9, complete with Changeling-positive commercial spots.
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* ThatOneSidequest: [[invoked]] One would think that taking a Flea booster to altitude for a test would be a simple straightforward contract, and not something that takes 4 attempts.
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* AbandonShip: Chrysalis considers this as an eventfull[[note]]i.e. heavy G load and barely controllable rocket[[/note]] CSP Mission 3 starts descending by parachute, only to remember that her wings are bound inside her pressure suit, and thus wouldn't be such a good idea.
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* CentrifugalFarce: Played more or less straight as part of the training regimen.
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* MorphicResonance: Whatever form Occupant shifts to retains his buck-fanged dentition.
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* RedOnesGoFaster: An article of faith among changelings, expressed during the initial rocket design meetings.
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-->-- Cherry Berry evaluating the first Changeling prototype rocket, ''Changeling Space Program''
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-->-- Cherry Berry evaluating the first an early Changeling prototype rocket, ''Changeling Space Program''
* PassThePopcorn: Chrysalis’ first thought when seeing half a dozen changelings cowering from Cherry Berry’s wrath at the Cardboard Box Space Capsule.
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* CallToAgriculture: After returning to Equestria, Cherry Berry purchases a small plot of land on the outskirts of Ponyville for a small cherry orchard as a place for [[spoiler:Groot]] to live.
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* TheMerch: In-universe, [=NASA=] are asked by the Equestrians to manage the marketing of toys and other merchandise based on the castaways.[[note]]Hasbro appears to have won the bidding war for the right to make pony toys.[[/note]]
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* TheMerch: In-universe, [=NASA=] are asked by the Equestrians ask [=NASA=] to manage the marketing of toys and other merchandise based on the castaways.[[note]]Hasbro appears to have won the bidding war for the right to make pony toys.[[/note]]
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* TheUnpronounceable: Mark describes the Equestrian language as "horse Welsh" and is physically incapable of reproducing several of its vowels. (Attempts to speak it generally result in embarassingly scatalogical or anatomical phrases.)
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* TheUnpronounceable: Mark describes the Equestrian language as "horse Welsh" and is physically incapable of reproducing several of its vowels. (Attempts (His attempts to speak it generally result in embarassingly scatalogical [[MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels embarrassingly scatological or anatomical phrases.phrases]].)
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* DistantFinale: Some time after Mark is returned to Earth (long enough for him to earn his Botany [=PhD=]), we see how the various Martian castaways have fared. Enters FastForwardToReunion territory, depending on whether a jammed door is enough to avert it.
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* MeaningfulRename: The formerly nameless Ares IV MAV[[note]]Mars Ascent Vehicle[[/note]] is christened ''Phoenix'' by Cherry Berry, partly after the magical reviving bird, partly from [[Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965 an Earth story related to the ponies much earlier in the story]]. The new name turns out to be [[Film/StarTrekFirstContact much more meaningful than originally intended.]]
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* RagingStiffie: Mark has a couple of embarrasing incidents of this sort while sleeping in close quarters with the ponies. The first time resulted in a pair of hoof-shaped indentations in Rover 2's passenger bench. The second resulted in a hoofprint on his chest.
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* RagingStiffie: Mark has a couple of embarrasing embarrassing incidents of this sort while sleeping in close quarters with the ponies. The first time resulted in a pair of hoof-shaped indentations in Rover 2's passenger bench. The second resulted in a hoofprint on his chest.
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* HumansAreSmelly: Especially after a couple of weeks in close quarters with extremely limited hygene facilities.
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"I" comes before "interdimensional"
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"[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/317138/my-flight My Flight]]": Cherry Berry loves two things: Cherries and flying. Even though she has Twilight Sparkle's balloon on permanent loan and her own personal helicopter, she wants something a bit faster. (Prologue. Complete.)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'': The space race is on. Can Queen Chrysalis and her hive of enthusiastic, but not-too-bright changelings beat Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the first moon landing? (Crossover with VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. In progress[[note]]Put on hiatus while ''The Maretian'' was written[[/note]].)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'': The race to the moon is over, and the Changeling Space Program and the Equestrian Space Agency are now working on a joint project to reach Bucephalous, the next planet out from their sun. A mishap during testing of Twilight Sparkle's experimental rapid-teleport interplanetary drive system strands three ponies, a changeling, and a dragon in a different universe on a hostile planet with a wrecked spaceship, very little magic, and a rather surprised human named Mark Watney. (Crossover with Literature/TheMartian. Complete.)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'': The space race is on. Can Queen Chrysalis and her hive of enthusiastic, but not-too-bright changelings beat Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the first moon landing? (Crossover with VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. In progress[[note]]Put on hiatus while ''The Maretian'' was written[[/note]].)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'': The race to the moon is over, and the Changeling Space Program and the Equestrian Space Agency are now working on a joint project to reach Bucephalous, the next planet out from their sun. A mishap during testing of Twilight Sparkle's experimental rapid-teleport interplanetary drive system strands three ponies, a changeling, and a dragon in a different universe on a hostile planet with a wrecked spaceship, very little magic, and a rather surprised human named Mark Watney. (Crossover with Literature/TheMartian. Complete.)
to:
* "[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/317138/my-flight My Flight]]": Cherry Berry loves two things: Cherries and flying. Even though she has Twilight Sparkle's balloon on permanent loan and her own personal helicopter, she wants something a bit faster. (Prologue. Complete.)
)
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'': The space race is on. Can Queen Chrysalis and her hive of enthusiastic, but not-too-bright changelings beat Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the first moon landing? (Crossover with VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. In progress[[note]]Put on hiatus while ''The Maretian'' was written[[/note]].)
)
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'': The race to the moon is over, and the Changeling Space Program and the Equestrian Space Agency are now working on a joint project to reach Bucephalous, the next planet out from their sun. A mishap during testing of Twilight Sparkle's experimental rapid-teleport interplanetary drive system strands three ponies, a changeling, and a dragon in a different universe on a hostile planet with a wrecked spaceship, very little magic, and a rather surprised human named Mark Watney. (Crossover with Literature/TheMartian. Complete.)
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'': The space race is on. Can Queen Chrysalis and her hive of enthusiastic, but not-too-bright changelings beat Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the first moon landing? (Crossover with VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. In progress[[note]]Put on hiatus while ''The Maretian'' was written[[/note]].
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'': The race to the moon is over, and the Changeling Space Program and the Equestrian Space Agency are now working on a joint project to reach Bucephalous, the next planet out from their sun. A mishap during testing of Twilight Sparkle's experimental rapid-teleport interplanetary drive system strands three ponies, a changeling, and a dragon in a different universe on a hostile planet with a wrecked spaceship, very little magic, and a rather surprised human named Mark Watney. (Crossover with Literature/TheMartian. Complete.)
* HiddenDepths: Space Tourist Jet Set, as owner of an airship construction firm, has several useful suggestions for improvement for the [=CSP=] passenger module.
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* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: Unintended consequence of failure to limit the Sparkle Drive's collision avoidance system to just 3 dimensions. Later used purposefully for the search-and-rescue mission. The Mirror Portal to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]] universe also makes a brief appearance.
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* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: Unintended consequence of failure to limit the Sparkle Drive's collision avoidance system to just 3 dimensions. Later used purposefully for the search-and-rescue mission. The Mirror Portal to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]] universe also makes a brief appearance.
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* TheMerch: In-universe, [=NASA=] are asked by the Equestrians to manage the marketing of toys and other merchandise based on the castaways.[[note]]Hasbro appears to have won the bidding war for the right to make pony toys.[[/note]]
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* Toyetic: The first two scenes in the story give a double-barrelled TakeThat to certain Hasbro toy releases.
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* Toyetic: [[MerchandiseDriven Toyetic]]: The first two scenes in the story give a double-barrelled TakeThat to certain Hasbro toy releases.
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%%!!!Tropes applicable to "My Flight"
%%
%%
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* Toyetic: The first two scenes in the story give a double-barrelled TakeThat to certain Hasbro toy releases.
-->“Sure you can have my ornithopter!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “I’m not using it anyway, no matter what those toy company executives think!”
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* DiplomaticImpunity: The reason Chrysalis can start a space program at all. Yes, she tried to conquer Equestria and failed, but she is absolute monarch of the changeling nation (such as it is) and thus can conduct her scheme openly under the cover of peace negotiations.
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* AntiMutiny: After the Hab breach of Sol 88, Cherry Berry, who feels she has failed as leader of the pony crew, attempts to resign as mission commander. The others aren't having it, not even Spitfire, who up to this point has felt awkward about being the lowest-ranking member of the crew after being commander of Equestria's most elite military unit.
-->“Is it a mutiny when the crew is forcing the captain to keep giving orders?” Dragonfly asked.
-->“Yes!!” Cherry Berry snapped.
-->“Is it a mutiny when the crew is forcing the captain to keep giving orders?” Dragonfly asked.
-->“Yes!!” Cherry Berry snapped.
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* BlindIdiotTranslation: The translation spell Starlight Glimmer cobbles together to speak with Mark Watney tends to do this, especially when confronted with [[MeaningfulName the literal nature of pony-world names]]. For example, the spell at one point renders Spitfire's name as "Slobberflame." Between this problem and the fact that the spell can only be used for about ninety seconds before Starlight collapses from exhaustion, it's no wonder that she pushes hard to get everyone to learn English.
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* AwesomeButImpractical: Twilight's pursuit of a purely magic-powered single-stage-to-orbit design sufficiently distracts the Equestrian Space Agency to keep the Changeling Space Program neck-and-neck with them in the race to the moon.
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* PatterSong: "Appy is Uppy" is a fairly entertaining (and catchy) way of getting across terms used when navigating in space.
* PenPushingPresident: Or Pen-Pushing Semi-enlightened Despot. "Going legit" has saddled Chrysalis with a vastly increased burden of paperwork. Documentation for her subjects (birth certificates, background checks, employment and rental references, etc.), diplomatic and commercial correspondance, etc.
* PenPushingPresident: Or Pen-Pushing Semi-enlightened Despot. "Going legit" has saddled Chrysalis with a vastly increased burden of paperwork. Documentation for her subjects (birth certificates, background checks, employment and rental references, etc.), diplomatic and commercial correspondance, etc.
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** Also, [[spoiler: the outcome of the launch of the Ares IV MAV, rechristened ''Phoenix''.]]
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* UnreliableExpositor: [[TheEmpath Dragonfly]] claims to sense first the emotions of certain inanimate things... and then to hear their voices. Considering that throughout the story she suffers from a steadily worsening case of magical malnutrition, this could be entirely in her head, as she is the first to admit. Or... possibly not...
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* LastSupperSteal: After contact with Earth is reestablished, one piece of fan-art is clearly inspired by this.
-->The shot panned from left to right, showing first the five Ares III crew members on Hermes in various poses; then, in the center, Mark Watney, looking wryly amused but not particularly holy; then the five alien castaways; and finally, in the position of Judas, a Roman centurion fingering a bloody sword and wearing a most unpleasant smile.
-->The shot panned from left to right, showing first the five Ares III crew members on Hermes in various poses; then, in the center, Mark Watney, looking wryly amused but not particularly holy; then the five alien castaways; and finally, in the position of Judas, a Roman centurion fingering a bloody sword and wearing a most unpleasant smile.
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* LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision: 70s sitcoms and action shows. Also Beatles and disco lyrics.
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* LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision: 70s sitcoms and action shows. shows, with saving grace Series/TheElectricCompany1971. Also Beatles and disco lyrics.song lyrics. Eventually, more formal English lessons are provided.
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-->-- Cherry Berry, ''Changeling Space Program''
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-->-- Cherry Berry, Berry evaluating the first Changeling prototype rocket, ''Changeling Space Program''
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-->-- Mark Watney, ''The Maretian''
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-->-- Mark Watney, Watney after learning the history of Equestrian spaceflight, ''The Maretian''
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* FailureMontage: Chapter 2 has a series of changeling flight experiments involving large slingshots, teams of drones using magic boosting a volunteer, combinations of the two, and, finally, Pinkie's party cannon. Results are many injured and disappointed drones.
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* AlternateContinuity: As CSP was begun before the season 6 finale ("[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E25ToWhereAndBackAgainPart1 To Where and Back Again]]") aired, the entire "skittle-bug" plotline is treated as a one of Chrysalis' bad dreams.
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* AlternateContinuity: As CSP was begun before the season 6 finale ("[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E25ToWhereAndBackAgainPart1 To Where and Back Again]]") aired, the entire "skittle-bug" plotline is treated as a one of Chrysalis' bad dreams.
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* EasyLogistics: Sorta. Taking its cue from Kerbal Space Program, the life support transmission crystals can supply effectively unlimited water and air, but due to a bug in the transmission spells, carbon compounds (i.e. food and many fuels) cannot be safely transferred through the system. (Yes, electrolyzing water can yield hydrogen for fuel, but that has its own storage issues.)
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* EasyLogistics: Sorta. Taking its cue from Kerbal Space Program, the life support transmission crystals can supply effectively unlimited water and air, but due to a bug bugs in the transmission spells, carbon compounds (i.e. food and many fuels) cannot be safely transferred through the system. (Yes, electrolyzing water can yield hydrogen for fuel, but that has its own storage issues.))
* InterplanetaryVoyage: Getting to orbit, much less to the moon and beyond are major undertakings.
* InterplanetaryVoyage: Getting to orbit, much less to the moon and beyond are major undertakings.
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* MultistageTeleport: Because the magic cost of a single teleport scales exponentially with distance jumped, the underlying mechanism of the Sparkle Drive is very short (under 5 meters) jumps performed very quickly (thousands of times a second).
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* IWantMyJetpack: For all Mark's remarks about how the Equestrians are insane, he agrees that their approach to exploring space is the way humans ''should'' have had, dang it!
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* IWantMyJetpack: For all Mark's remarks about how the Equestrians are insane, he agrees also states that their approach to they're exploring space is the way humans ''should'' have had, have, dang it!
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* IWantMyJetpack: For all Mark's remarks about how the Equestrians are insane, he agrees that their approach to exploring space is the way humans ''should'' have had, dang it!
-->They’re not wasting time with their space program. One day they just decided, “Let’s go to space!” And from that day they threw everything they had at it- magic, science, courage, and political will. For most of my lifetime we had the science and the courage, but not the will. Now we’ve got it back. Don’t give it up again.
-->They’re not wasting time with their space program. One day they just decided, “Let’s go to space!” And from that day they threw everything they had at it- magic, science, courage, and political will. For most of my lifetime we had the science and the courage, but not the will. Now we’ve got it back. Don’t give it up again.
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* EasyLogistics: Sorta. Taking its cue from Kerbal Space Program, the life support transmission crystals can supply effectively unlimited water and air, but due to a bug in the transmission spells, carbon compounds (i.e. food and many fuels) cannot be safely transferred through the system. (Yes, electrolyzing water can yield hydrogen for fuel, but that has its own storage issues.)
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* BackgroundMagicField: The absence of this on Mars is a critical problem for the ponies. The initial stress of attempting to draw mana from the nonexistant field caused a cascade failure that destroyed all but two of the ponies' mana batteries. Life does generate some mana, which allows a slow recharge of their remaining batteries, but initially, all the life on Mars fits in the Ares III Hab with lots of room to spare.
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* {{Mana}}: A critical limiting factor in how much the ponies can contribute to survival on Mars. Life generates mana, which can be stored in purpose-made batteries. So food production not only supplies needed calories for consumption, but also mana which can then be used to enhance Earth Pony agricultural abilities (Yay, more food!), cast useful spells, or enchant objects (like more batteries, or a replacement Sparkle Drive crystal).
* RagingStiffie: Mark has a couple of embarrasing incidents of this sort while sleeping in close quarters with the ponies. The first time resulted in a pair of hoof-shaped indentations in Rover 2's passenger bench. The second resulted in a hoofprint on his chest.
* ShoutOut: During the trip to Schiaparelli, Dragonfly reports that the RTG is 'saying', "Good night, mortals, good work, [[Film/ThePrincessBride I'll probably kill you in the morning.]]"
* RagingStiffie: Mark has a couple of embarrasing incidents of this sort while sleeping in close quarters with the ponies. The first time resulted in a pair of hoof-shaped indentations in Rover 2's passenger bench. The second resulted in a hoofprint on his chest.
* ShoutOut: During the trip to Schiaparelli, Dragonfly reports that the RTG is 'saying', "Good night, mortals, good work, [[Film/ThePrincessBride I'll probably kill you in the morning.]]"
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->''“It is a cheap, half-rusted LAWN CHAIR glued on top of a BOMB! WHAT were you THINKING? WERE you thinking??”''
-->-- Cherry Berry, ''Changeling Space Program''
->''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, ''The Maretian''
Soon after Twilight Sparkle publishes a paper explaining that the magical land of Equestria is not a flat plane covered by a bowl of stars, but actually a planet in a heliocentric star system, Chrysalis, queen of the changelings, decides that the next step in her program of conquest is to harness the power of the moon. Of course, first she needs to get there to claim it.
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'' (CSP) and its sequel, ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'', are WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fanfics by [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/111114/Kris+Overstreet/stories Kris Overstreet]], telling the story of the Space Race between Queen Chrysalis' Changeling Space Program and Twilight Sparkle's Equestrian Space Agency and subsequent events.
The missions depicted in CSP are based on missions played through VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram; most of the minor in-game mishaps are translated directly to the story.
There are three related works.
"[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/317138/my-flight My Flight]]": Cherry Berry loves two things: Cherries and flying. Even though she has Twilight Sparkle's balloon on permanent loan and her own personal helicopter, she wants something a bit faster. (Prologue. Complete.)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'': The space race is on. Can Queen Chrysalis and her hive of enthusiastic, but not-too-bright changelings beat Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the first moon landing? (Crossover with VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. In progress[[note]]Put on hiatus while ''The Maretian'' was written[[/note]].)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'': The race to the moon is over, and the Changeling Space Program and the Equestrian Space Agency are now working on a joint project to reach Bucephalous, the next planet out from their sun. A mishap during testing of Twilight Sparkle's experimental rapid-teleport interplanetary drive system strands three ponies, a changeling, and a dragon in a different universe on a hostile planet with a wrecked spaceship, very little magic, and a rather surprised human named Mark Watney. (Crossover with Literature/TheMartian. Complete.)
----
!! The fanfics contain examples of the following tropes:
Most tropes applying to the source material(s) are also in effect unless otherwise noted.
!!!Tropes common to all stories
* AlternateContinuity: As CSP was begun before the season 6 finale ("[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E25ToWhereAndBackAgainPart1 To Where and Back Again]]") aired, the entire "skittle-bug" plotline is treated as a one of Chrysalis' bad dreams.
* {{Angrish}}: Unlike Cherry Berry, Chrysalis lapses into this when confronted with particularly blatant displays of idiocy.
* CerebusSyndrome: CSP is primarily a comedic space adventure with plenty of slapstick and ludicrous sitations to navigate. ''The Maretian'' is a survival adventure where the humor comes mostly through character interactions and Mark Watney's snarky log entries.
* DangerDeadpan: The pilots in both organizations strive for this.
* LetsGetDangerous: Cherry Berry is usually a typical pony, just as prone to panic attacks as any other citizen of Ponyville. But put her in a cockpit and she becomes the proverbial [[NervesOfSteel Steely-Eyed Missile Mare]].
* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Even allowing for magical ponies, things generally sit around 3 ("Physics Plus") or harder.
* SirSwearsalot: Cherry Berry has an impressive grasp of invective in several languages (Equestrian, Griffon, Germane, Japonese, Minotaur[[spoiler:, and eventually English]]).
%%!!!Tropes applicable to "My Flight"
%%
!!!Tropes applicable to ''Changeling Space Program''
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Double Face fades from the narrative around the time the Horseton Space Center becomes operational.
* FootnoteFever: Kris has stated on several occasions that Creator/TerryPratchett is one of his major writing influences. CSP has the footnotes to prove it.
* OnlySaneMan: Cherry Berry and Chrysalis both try to rein in overly enthusiastic changelings and boffins with tenuous connections to reality.
* RealityEnsues: Soon after Chrysalis decides to go to the moon, she discovers just how difficult such an undertaking is.
* ShoutOut: Chrysalis exerts her royal prerogative by declaring "[[Series/WKRPInCincinnati Booger!]]" over the ship-to-ground comm.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Queen Chrysalis' hive are, on the whole, extremely loyal and enthusiastic about whatever projects she has for them. Unfortunately, the number of changelings that can be trusted to perform tasks without close supervision is rather small.
!!!Tropes applicable to ''The Maretian''
* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Only after learning it through practice.
* BilingualDialogue: Although he can't speak Equestrian, Mark does pick up enough vocabulary and grammar to understand what the ponies are saying in their native language.
* DisasterDominoes: The chain of events leading to the Equestrians getting stuck on Mars. Bonus points for contributing to the storm that strands Mark as well.
* FasterThanLightTravel: Happens unintentionally via accidentally [[OverDrive overclocking]] the "Many Short Teleports Very Quickly" drive.
* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: Unintended consequence of failure to limit the Sparkle Drive's collision avoidance system to just 3 dimensions. Later used purposefully for the search-and-rescue mission. The Mirror Portal to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]] universe also makes a brief appearance.
* LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision: 70s sitcoms and action shows. Also Beatles and disco lyrics.
* TemptingFate: Any time one of the crew suggests that things are looking up, Murphy raises his head to snicker. After a few incidents, [[GenreSavvy they learn to be more judicious about their statements]].
* TranslatorMicrobes: Starlight has a spell that allows limited translation between English and Equestrian, but it has problems dealing with metaphors and technical jargon. This and the limited availability of magic makes learning English a priority for the Equestrians.
* TheUnpronounceable: Mark describes the Equestrian language as "horse Welsh" and is physically incapable of reproducing several of its vowels. (Attempts to speak it generally result in embarassingly scatalogical or anatomical phrases.)
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-->-- Cherry Berry, ''Changeling Space Program''
->''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, ''The Maretian''
Soon after Twilight Sparkle publishes a paper explaining that the magical land of Equestria is not a flat plane covered by a bowl of stars, but actually a planet in a heliocentric star system, Chrysalis, queen of the changelings, decides that the next step in her program of conquest is to harness the power of the moon. Of course, first she needs to get there to claim it.
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'' (CSP) and its sequel, ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'', are WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fanfics by [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/111114/Kris+Overstreet/stories Kris Overstreet]], telling the story of the Space Race between Queen Chrysalis' Changeling Space Program and Twilight Sparkle's Equestrian Space Agency and subsequent events.
The missions depicted in CSP are based on missions played through VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram; most of the minor in-game mishaps are translated directly to the story.
There are three related works.
"[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/317138/my-flight My Flight]]": Cherry Berry loves two things: Cherries and flying. Even though she has Twilight Sparkle's balloon on permanent loan and her own personal helicopter, she wants something a bit faster. (Prologue. Complete.)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/changeling-space-program Changeling Space Program]]'': The space race is on. Can Queen Chrysalis and her hive of enthusiastic, but not-too-bright changelings beat Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the first moon landing? (Crossover with VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram. In progress[[note]]Put on hiatus while ''The Maretian'' was written[[/note]].)
''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/the-maretian The Maretian]]'': The race to the moon is over, and the Changeling Space Program and the Equestrian Space Agency are now working on a joint project to reach Bucephalous, the next planet out from their sun. A mishap during testing of Twilight Sparkle's experimental rapid-teleport interplanetary drive system strands three ponies, a changeling, and a dragon in a different universe on a hostile planet with a wrecked spaceship, very little magic, and a rather surprised human named Mark Watney. (Crossover with Literature/TheMartian. Complete.)
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!! The fanfics contain examples of the following tropes:
Most tropes applying to the source material(s) are also in effect unless otherwise noted.
!!!Tropes common to all stories
* AlternateContinuity: As CSP was begun before the season 6 finale ("[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E25ToWhereAndBackAgainPart1 To Where and Back Again]]") aired, the entire "skittle-bug" plotline is treated as a one of Chrysalis' bad dreams.
* {{Angrish}}: Unlike Cherry Berry, Chrysalis lapses into this when confronted with particularly blatant displays of idiocy.
* CerebusSyndrome: CSP is primarily a comedic space adventure with plenty of slapstick and ludicrous sitations to navigate. ''The Maretian'' is a survival adventure where the humor comes mostly through character interactions and Mark Watney's snarky log entries.
* DangerDeadpan: The pilots in both organizations strive for this.
* LetsGetDangerous: Cherry Berry is usually a typical pony, just as prone to panic attacks as any other citizen of Ponyville. But put her in a cockpit and she becomes the proverbial [[NervesOfSteel Steely-Eyed Missile Mare]].
* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Even allowing for magical ponies, things generally sit around 3 ("Physics Plus") or harder.
* SirSwearsalot: Cherry Berry has an impressive grasp of invective in several languages (Equestrian, Griffon, Germane, Japonese, Minotaur[[spoiler:, and eventually English]]).
%%!!!Tropes applicable to "My Flight"
%%
!!!Tropes applicable to ''Changeling Space Program''
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Double Face fades from the narrative around the time the Horseton Space Center becomes operational.
* FootnoteFever: Kris has stated on several occasions that Creator/TerryPratchett is one of his major writing influences. CSP has the footnotes to prove it.
* OnlySaneMan: Cherry Berry and Chrysalis both try to rein in overly enthusiastic changelings and boffins with tenuous connections to reality.
* RealityEnsues: Soon after Chrysalis decides to go to the moon, she discovers just how difficult such an undertaking is.
* ShoutOut: Chrysalis exerts her royal prerogative by declaring "[[Series/WKRPInCincinnati Booger!]]" over the ship-to-ground comm.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Queen Chrysalis' hive are, on the whole, extremely loyal and enthusiastic about whatever projects she has for them. Unfortunately, the number of changelings that can be trusted to perform tasks without close supervision is rather small.
!!!Tropes applicable to ''The Maretian''
* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Only after learning it through practice.
* BilingualDialogue: Although he can't speak Equestrian, Mark does pick up enough vocabulary and grammar to understand what the ponies are saying in their native language.
* DisasterDominoes: The chain of events leading to the Equestrians getting stuck on Mars. Bonus points for contributing to the storm that strands Mark as well.
* FasterThanLightTravel: Happens unintentionally via accidentally [[OverDrive overclocking]] the "Many Short Teleports Very Quickly" drive.
* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: Unintended consequence of failure to limit the Sparkle Drive's collision avoidance system to just 3 dimensions. Later used purposefully for the search-and-rescue mission. The Mirror Portal to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]] universe also makes a brief appearance.
* LearntEnglishFromWatchingTelevision: 70s sitcoms and action shows. Also Beatles and disco lyrics.
* TemptingFate: Any time one of the crew suggests that things are looking up, Murphy raises his head to snicker. After a few incidents, [[GenreSavvy they learn to be more judicious about their statements]].
* TranslatorMicrobes: Starlight has a spell that allows limited translation between English and Equestrian, but it has problems dealing with metaphors and technical jargon. This and the limited availability of magic makes learning English a priority for the Equestrians.
* TheUnpronounceable: Mark describes the Equestrian language as "horse Welsh" and is physically incapable of reproducing several of its vowels. (Attempts to speak it generally result in embarassingly scatalogical or anatomical phrases.)
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