History Fanfic / ChangelingSpaceProgramAndTheMaretian

* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: After the ponies spent a sol grooming for photos sent to NASA, Mark proudly claims, "I am, after all, the most popular and exclusive spa host on the whole planet."

-- Dragonfly during the adaptation of Music/SpaceOddity.

* 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.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Dr. Shields cites Mark's lack of snark as one symptom of the crew's exhaustion following Dragonfly's indisposition.

* IWantMyJetpack: For all Mark's remarks about how the Equestrians are insane, he also states that they're exploring space the way humans ''should'' have, 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.

* 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.
** Also, [[spoiler: the outcome of the launch of the Ares IV MAV, rechristened ''Phoenix''.]]

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: After Dragonfly has cocooned herself, the others ask home for help getting her out again. What follows is Chrysalis's [[spoiler:half sarcasm, half test]] prescription to wake her up again:
-->Procedure for reviving Dragonfly. Take one stick. Apply vigorously to side of cocoon while shouting the following chant: wake up you lazy drone, [[EmotionEater quit draining people in your sleep]], don't you know [[AppealToWorseProblems larvae are starving in Mareitania?]] Repeat as needed until desired results are achieved. Over.

* HumansAreSmelly: Especially after a couple of weeks in close quarters with extremely limited hygene facilities.

* IWantMyJetpack: For all Mark's remarks about how the Equestrians are insane, he also states that they're exploring space the way humans ''should'' have, 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.
* InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Mark's general reaction to Equestrian space flight after he learns a bit more about their unbelievably rapid space race.

* 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.

* {{Mana}}: A critical limiting factor in how much the ponies can contribute to survival on Mars. Life generates mana, which can be collected and 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).

* TheMultiverse: Not just CSP Equestria and Mars. Exploration probes sent to locate the castaways find their way to several other alternate Equestrias (including Equestria Girls) and universes containing Transformers, Gundams...

** Mark sets up an encounter with a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_and_the_Dread_Gazebo Dread Gazebo]]. Starlight's cleric Charms it and adds it to the party.

-->“Earth needs more princesses,” Starlight Glimmer said.\\
“For the eighty-seventh time,” Mark sighed, “it does not.”

--> ''Can you say,'' oh shit? ''Sure, I knew you could. And I’ll be waiting here until your mommies get done washing your mouths out with soap.''

-->Don't ask us why we sing\\
It's just a pony thing\\

* TWordEuphemism: Mark attempts to document one of Cherry’s SirSwearsalot incidents in his log:
--> I’m sure that in among the angry horse noises was the F-bomb, the S-bomb, one or two Q-bombs and a Silent-J-bomb.

* ShowWithinAShow: The ''Look At It!'' documentary covering CSP Mission 9, complete with Changeling-positive commercial spots.

* EveryoneKnowsMorse: Well, at least Dragonfly, Twilight, Spike, and Drying Paint (the duty watchmare at Cape Friendship) know the pony equivalent. Mark initially needs a cheat sheet for his Morse messages.

* EveryoneKnowsMorse: Well, at least Dragonfly, Twilight, and Drying Paint (the duty watchmare at Cape Friendship) know the pony equivalent. Mark initially needs a cheat sheet for his Morse messages.

Most tropes applying to the source material(s) are also in effect unless otherwise noted.

!!!Tropes common to all stories

* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: From [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/327551/15/changeling-space-program/chapter-12-mission-20-keep-her-alive-and-show-her-a-good-time Chapter 12]]:
--> Conclusions from flight: [[spoiler:The passengers]] said in the survey they weren’t [[spoiler:afraid of heights]] or [[spoiler:closed spaces]]. Too bad we didn’t ask about [[spoiler:heights]] AND [[spoiler:closed spaces]].

-->“Is it a mutiny when the crew is forcing the captain to keep giving orders?” Dragonfly asked.
-->“Yes!!” Cherry Berry snapped.

** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E19ToChangeAChangeling Pharynx]] is mentioned as a potential Hive Viceroy. (More competent than the incumbent, but his paranoia is a significant negative.)

* 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 one of Chrysalis' bad dreams.

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Both Mark and NASA resort to this. Mark raids the Carl Sagan Memorial Station on Mars to collect ''Pathfinder'''s radio transceiver (and the ''Sojourner'' rover). NASA pulls its terrestrial duplicate out of the Smithsonian for their engineers to work on.

** Changeling Space Program Mission Control is based on the [=NASA=] model.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: On Sol 7, Mark describes Cherry Berry. (emphasis added)
--> The first of these little horse alien things is pink- pink like your kid sister’s ''Pretty Pansy Princess Playroom'' Set-

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Both Mark and [=NASA=] resort to this. Mark raids the Carl Sagan Memorial Station on Mars to collect ''Pathfinder'''s radio transceiver (and the ''Sojourner'' rover). [=NASA=] pulls its terrestrial duplicate out of the Smithsonian for their engineers to work on.

* GeniusLoci: ''Maybe.'' Mars certainly gives the impression of being actively hateful and malevolent, and aiming deadly storms or other mishaps at them whenever it gets enough mana from the castaway's experiments to do so. And Dragonfly certainly begins to sense malevolence from it as part of her growing ability to sense the emotions of inanimate objects... that may ''also'' be all in her head. And it's also possible that storms and atmospheric effects and the difficulty of spaceflight are simply a side effect of magic in this universe. Between this and the general effect's of Murphy's Law, as well as the fact that NASA ''really'' doesn't want to come out and say "We think Mars is evil and wants our astronauts dead", it stays ambiguous leaning slightly in favor.

* RetroRocket: Twilight Sparkle's favorite [[AwesomeButImpractical test-bed vehicle]] and prototype for her vision of the future of space travel, ''Amicitas''. It's essentially a three-fin cigar rocket with a flattened bottom to turn it into a space shuttle-like vessel that lands on a runway instead of on its tail.

* {{Angrish}}: Unlike Cherry Berry, Chrysalis lapses into this when confronted with particularly blatant displays of idiocy.

* FailsafeFailure: At the beginning, ''Amicitas'' loses all but its two emergency mana batteries to a failure cascade. The systems which would have prevented this all depended on the same [[BackgroundMagicField]] that the ship ran on.

* InsufficientlyAdvancedAliens: Mark's general reaction to Equestrian space flight after he learns a bit more about their unbelievably rapid space race.