This story is a sequel to Changeling Space Program

Twilight Sparkle's experimental interplanetary drive has malfunctioned, stranding Starlight Glimmer, Spitfire, Cherry Berry, a changeling and a dragon on a hostile planet in another universe. With limited food supplies, very little magic, no communications with home, and no way to leave the planet, they must survive until somepony rescues them.

Fortunately they crashed right next door to another creature with the exact same problem- a creature named Mark Watney.

They're going to science the buck out of everything- and do whatever it takes to survive Mars and get everybody home.

TVTropes page here! Thanks to GymQuirk for making it!

Commissioned art and fan works from the readers! Thanks, everybody!

This experiment in an updates-daily story was made possible by a generous grant from Canary in the Coal Mine and viewers like you.

(Sex tag for crude talk about sex, but no actual sex in the story.)

This story is a sequel to Discord Teaches Philosophy

Warning: The following is currently unedited and contains a significant amount of Philosophy.

After deciding on taking up the role of a Substitute and finding out that the main Philosophy teacher is boring his students, Discord decides to step in to take up the responsibility of teaching. And he will do it by teaching it in plain Equestrian, in a way that these young students would understand. As well as in his own unique way.

Lesson Plan (in no particular order):

Socrates: His Method and How We Ought to Live ✅

Plato: Allegory of the Cave ✅

Marcus Aurelius: How Stoicism Deals with Hardships ✅

Confucius: Who is Ruling Whom? ✅

Kintsugi: The Art of Imperfection ✅

Machiavelli: In Defense of the Prince ✅

Montaigne: Usefulness of Humility ✅

Rousseau: Of Savages and Civilization ✅

Kierkegaard: Subjectivity and Truth ✅

Nietzsche: Of Suffering and Happiness ✅

A young human girl runs away from home with her best friend, and finds herself much further from home than she ever expected. Her arrival in Equestria will cause ripples that affect ponies from the lowest to the highest.

Meanwhile, a young Nocturne mare begins an epic quest to earn the right to clean Princess Luna's porcelain throne.
Be sure to check out the Continuation. "How to Train Your Batpony" Not a Clopfic!

Let me extend thanks to Georg for letting me play with some of his characters and situations, and for proof reading and contributing some really good lines here and there.

Secondly, I would recomend reading some of his stories to better understand the jokes and situations that pop up in my story. Most especially I would advise you read A War of Words - The Opening of the Guard and possibly Genealogy (or the mating habits of Nocturnes Pegasi) (which is very long)

There are several reasons Rarity stays inside on Nightmare Night. Because she's Generosity, and it makes more sense to be giving away treats than to go out collecting them. Because really, costumes are their very own fashion trends, darling, and there's only so much a reasonable pony can be expected to deal with per season. But mostly because when it comes to the truest holiday nightmare of Ponyville, the thing which sends colts, fillies, and adults galloping their screaming way into the night?

She's it.

(A stand-alone, no prior-reading-necessary part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group: new members and trope edits are welcome. )

Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.