AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 481
ARES III SOL 472
Fireball stretched. He’d been stretching for twenty minutes, but after almost four hours in the pilot’s seat, he felt incredibly stiff, especially in the tail. In the Hab he hadn’t spent nearly as much time seated as he did in the ship, and when he had sat it was on a work stool, not in a flight couch.
Around him, the rest of the crew were settling in, the post-driving chores done, lunchtime still a little while away. Starlight Glimmer had taken her suit over to the ship’s head, so she could report the day’s progress to Equestria without spilling water all over the place. The three scouts just lay on the deck, resting, Cherry Berry and Spitire looking tired, Dragonfly one small step short of exhausted. Mark, for his part, leaned against one of the second row of flight couches, staring at the head with curiosity while Dragonfly quietly translated Mares Code into English.
“Message… received… Friendship,” she said as the response message came through. “Will… relay… to Twilight Sparkle and Chrysalis… gone to… Hair Hat City… for Summer… Sun… Celebration, over.”
Cherry Berry and Spitfire moaned.
“What’s wrong?” Mark asked.
“This is the second Summer Sun Celebration we’ve spent on Mars,” Cherry Berry sighed.
“Here. Not there,” Spitfire added.
“Well, look at the bright side,” Mark said, smiling. “We launch in eighty sols. There’s a good chance you’ll be home in time for… what’s the next big holiday?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Fireball snorted. “Ponies have holiday every week.”
“Not every week,” Cherry protested. “Not more than every other week.”
“Yeah, and they’ll make another one just for the day you get back,” Fireball growled. “So no sighs. Keep mind on getting home.”
Cherry Berry sat up and glared at Fireball. “Nice gentle attitude you have there,” she said.
“As gentle as the next dragon who ain’t Spike.”
From the head, Starlight called, “Do we have anything more we want to say today? If not, I’m signing off.”
Cherry looked at Fireball. “Tell them to start buying our Hearth’s Warming presents,” she said. “And make sure Fireball gets coal.”
Fireball made a face. “Coal? Tastes awful. And gives me gas.”
“I don’t think they meant for you to eat it,” Mark said.
“Whatever.” Fireball stretched again. It was crowded in the bridge, but at least it wasn't the habitat compartment. After two weeks on the road, nobody wanted to be in there until they had to be, when mealtime came or when night fell.
But for the moment a room without nutty whiny ponies or cheerful monkeys seemed like a good idea. “I make lunch,” he said. “I tell you when ready.”
MISSION LOG – SOL 472
We made our first southbound leg today. We’re now past Trouvelot and on our way to a region of smaller craters marked on my map as Thymiamata. The bad news is, NASA predicts the leading edge of the dust storm to catch us just as we enter that area. We’re hoping we get the go-ahead to turn east before we hit Crommelin crater, though. The area around Crommelin is really bad even by the standards of Arabia Terra. Plus, Crommelin is just above Mars’ equator. If we go more than 150 kilometers south of it, we drop south of the MAV… meaning that after that, we’ll be driving AWAY from our destination.
But the important thing is that we keep moving. If we stop, not only do we miss the launch, but we probably die. We can’t make it back to the Hab now, even if we wanted to. So we have to make as much ground as fast as we can while guaranteeing a full battery in the morning for more driving.
That’s not easy. The ground east of Trouvelot was pretty badly broken, with several small craters to dodge, ejecta from those craters and from Trouvelot itself, and a lot of gullies and ravines that dwarf the little ditches we had in Acidalia. But after two hours today we found a huge lake bed which runs north-northeast to south-southwest. It’s got some sand dunes, but nothing too difficult. We haven’t bogged down or threatened to tip over- more just plowed right through. There’s a ridge we have to go around tomorrow or the next sol, but for two days we should have comparatively smooth driving.
After that, though, it’s back into the standard Arabia Terra crap… complete with sandstorm. Because into each life a little crap must fall, unless you’re Mark Watney and anyone unfortunate enough to be within his blast radius, in which case enjoy the fucking Niagara Falls of diarrhetic feces from the sky.
We’re not reporting to NASA anymore, but we’re not completely out of contact. At high noon local time we turn on the radio to receive-only. Hermes will send a message update within ten minutes with a brief on the next day’s driving and a weather report. After the ten minutes is up, we turn off the radio. Granted we don’t need to be saving every scrap of power just yet, which is why we’re still using the microwave for meals and all the computers for entertainment. But the radio thing is NASA’s idea, and it doesn’t really hurt at this point to start doing it.
That said, we’re going to make tonight the last D&D session for a while. And I’ve decided to make a little peace offering to Starlight. Her Priestess of Om character is about to draw the attention of a Discworld-style unicorn that’s escaped from the elves. If she plays the situation right, she might just get to be a witch after all…
MISSION LOG – SOL 472 (2)
Since we’re not on power rationing yet, I’m going to report: my plan went a little too successfully. Starlight is now the Ninth Prophetess of Om due to consecutive natural 20s rolled on her knowledge of Omnianism as it applies to the holiness or unholiness of wild unicorns. As in, Om manifested, and she made the case to sanctify her new unicorn friend, and made it stick. For one night, the pony the others call Ms. Can’t Roll made every roll.
Of course, the others are mad at me for two reasons: (1) Starlight got a magic pet and they didn’t; and (2) all those good rolls were wasted on what amounts to diplomancing. No combat.
I think the reason GMs get the reputation for being TPK addicts is, TPK is the only way a GM can win.
I am deeply alarmed by this statement.
Diplomancy is the fanciest, schmanciest, pranciest way to smarm your way to victory.
9141292
Honestly, with all the shit Kris has put them through, I'm not surprised.
C O N C E R N
On a more serious note, holy fuck Starlight must be disappointed... wasting all those Nat 20's outside of combat; basically says "yeah, you can roll, but never when it fucking matters" in my books (but only because I can totally relate... I can totally roll the magic numbers, but never when I really need to)
9141292
Martian megastorm incoming. Batten down the hatches.
9141299
Given that any half-decent FIM episode is down to diplomancing...yep!
San Japan, so a short jaunt over to San Antonio for you, Kris. Must be refreshing to not have to go across the continent.
Still waiting to see what the latest twist in the murderizing Mars is going to throw at them. It can't be plain sandstorm death. That would be too easy.
These words scare me.
wait what holiday would it be on earth if they make it there?
If its thx grieving give the ponies so much food earth how to show and make them feel like they been missing out on things back home.
If its X-Mas then give them gift to that i say give fireball a video game from earth with all the action games to go with it and lots of movies and cyberpunk as well, or better take HIM TO LA!!!!
If its easter...... just give them eggs and a bible.
if its st. Patrick's Day give them all the free beer you can.
if 4tyh of july show how much fireworks gun shows in the usa
i could go on on the many many earth hoildays
9141324
Donde no los todos?
for those of us bad at Acronyms/abbreviations what is TPK?
9141351
Total Party Kill
9141351
Total Party Kill...otherwise known as a Party Wipe....it's when the entire party gets knocked out or killed before new characters can be introduced, usually in a single combat
9141363
9141361
thank you :)
9141292
Does a writer win with a TPK?
Sorry Mark you just got one of those lame groups that hates diplomancy. Don't need to TPK if your group actually likes the stuff you write.
9141381
Only if they're G.R.R. Martin
(loads the dice)
Lawrence of Arabia Terra
9141292
Mars: "Challenge accepted".
9141324
Depends on where you live, really. The Summer Sun Celebration is their summer solstice, so their midsummer, and there's a whole load of festivities depending on your country or state, and lot of places don't really have a midsummer holiday at all. The closest thing to an international holiday would probably be St. John's Day.
Hope Dragon is only stretching, and not Stretching, or things will get especially crowded?
Then again, young space dragons only need a thin bubble helmet to keep the tenth bar oxy atmosphere contained while they get old enough first for nuclear recycling, then pure staged power?
If you aint got enough power to transmit, you are so far in the do, you is doing the do. And I better not go down that path Yet Again. Sorry. We need Skylon.
9141381 9141411 Or Herman Melville.
Seventy-nine sols until launch day.
Kris, I want to have a chapter in The Maretian dedicated to David Bowie's Starman!
9141558
like how in the usa we made pizza eating a hoilday?
9140047
Okay, then have an argument on point.
Round vs square windows, is a lesson we learned the hard way. Sparkle is not that much of a genius that she can see that coming. Especially at that point in the story.
Beyond that, how many flights did she design this craft for? Its the pressure cycles that are the problem, not the pressure.
Additionally, pony-reinforced steel. Probably the best glass Twilight could get her hoofs on. Nothing to worry about.
Rounded airlocks required? No. Vertical sluice doors are rectangular and operate at way tougher condition then any space airlock. Most of they are probably round because pressure vessels are round, and then the shape makes sense. Or to confirm to international space standards. But rectangular sliding Star Trek doors work just fine.
In my experience, there are other ways to win as the DM (confuse the party so badly you have to skip ahead, for example,) but they're rarely if ever satisfactory for anyone. If the DM wins, everyone loses... unless the TPK makes for a good story.
In any case, the storm approaches. I said it before and I'll say it again: This will suck.
9141692
Ehh, kinda? I was thinking more Thanksgiving. It's a US holiday, but nobody outside of the US is going to celebrate it because it's unique to US culture and history.
Same with midsummer holidays, what holidays exist are unique to countries or states and their culture and history, but not celebrated almost worldwide like Christmas or Easter.
9141827
Saint Patrick's Day is one of them that is somewhat around the world, its a hoilday for drinking now and others may have there own like it
9141314
I'm wondering how they are going to keep their scouts from getting lost in the coming storm?
And did Starlight make those rolls with her Mars Dice?
9141321
I'm expecting a suit failure. In the middle of a dust storm. A kilometer or more from the Whinny-bago. They were designed for a few days of light use before major servicing or replacement. They have seen more than a solid year of near-daily use in an environment FAR more harsh than basic vacuum. At this point they are probably more bug barf than original suit.
so starlight has begun cheating, big surprise.
9142175
Yup. Wonder what the contingency plan is. Force bubble to keep air in like when they shouted at Mars? Teleportation? None at all? Being on watch for this sort of emergency is my headcanon for Starlight Glimmer's occupation during the drive.
9142175
Wasn't bug barf in its myriad forms most of the original composition of the suit anyway? It may be more patches than original manufacture, but it is at least being patched with more or less the same material.
Changeling goo makes up one of the vacuum-sealing layers. The majority of the (original) suits is traditional materials such as rubber, cloth, and metal.
9141726
Just by using regular steel they would eliminate virtually any chance of encountering that problem:
slideplayer.com/slide/7758841/25/images/32/The+endurance+limit+is+observed+as+a+horizontal+line+on+the+S-N+curve..jpg
9142333
Kris was an occasional contributor the the MLP Time Loops collection and the author of the incident referenced.
He also wrote a loop where Cherry Berry was granted wings, horn, and FTL space travel abilities. In that snippet, I can see the germ of what became “My Flight”, which can be seen as something of a prologue to Changeling Space Program proper.
Caught up!
9137292
9137622
Shall add it to my list to read.
9137668
9137360
Like most Worm stories... Worm burned me out on Grimderp/dark stories, a lot of authors for that series just pile it on beyond all reason, and played it straight making it cringy, frustrating, and immersion shattering. Unlike WH40K whos grimderp is hilarious and fun.
I read A Friend in Need (Worm/MLP), and really liked it (I think it was what got me to look into more MLP stories tbh). It has a few dark moments but overall it's a good fun read. How does this story compare to that if you've read it?
Ohhh my.
9142333 I was referring to the fact that I wrote that snippet, among many.
(My first contribution to the Infinite Loops was a gag about wedding presents- specifically, highly destructive weaponry being called "toasters." "It has a toast setting- it's between 'sunburn' and 'political protest'.")
9142316 It's a variant on one of the gags in this toon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5sqvRdqngU
Sorry, Mark, that was me. I had a bad bout of gastroenteritis last week!
9144139
Well, Lets list some hypotheses. And you design the experiment and/or run the statistics.
Mars is indifferent or even benevolent (Good luck so far: Cave gems, landing spot near HAB, Pathfinder in good condition, Whatever details they took for granted) and:
Magic in general affects weather patterns.
Specific uses of magic like Thrusters affects weather patterns.
Changelings affect weather patterns.
Pegasi affect weather patterns.
God dislikes aliens and affects weather patterns.
A god dislikes aliens and affects weather patterns.
Discord is messing with everyone.
The solar system dislikes aliens and affects weather patterns.
This universe dislikes aliens and affects weather patterns.
Aliens did not share full intell, and messed up some part of the system.
The aliens attempt to find mars affects weather patterns.
It's just the weather.
Mars is actively trying to get rid of life.
Mars is actively trying to get rid of life from outside the solar system.
Mars is trying to get rid of anything foreign.
Don't worry, Mark, since all her good rolls are done, Starlight's character will somehow manage to teleport their skeleton out of their body while trying to cast a light spell.
9144729
Critical failure followed by critical success.
She managed to cast a light spell on her eyeballs, and due to the critical success, the spell is now permanent.
I used to GM. The only way to keep from burning out is to play in someone else's campaign. 1 GM doesn't work. You need at least 2 campaigns on alternate nights
Kill them all and let the trashcan sort it out!
No, no Mark... that is the entire problem, seeing i as 'winning'. You "win' if you and your players all had a good time, that's it. Trying to make it out to be a competition is what causes problems.
Then again, I'm a much more lax and story focused DM, in several years of DMing a Ponyfinder campaign, it wasn't until into the follow up campaign that there was a single player character death, and that was a character who the party hated, wanted gone from it (The character, not the player, the player just had the issue of being way to much of the 'but that's what my character would do' mindset no matter how badly that character annoyed the rest, so he was going to reroll the character anyway, and deliberately went into a situation there was no chance of living through. (Ran into the quirky miniboss anti-party that were reoccurring foes of the party, and tried to take them on 6 v 1... he did manage to kill their cleric with a single x3 crit before going down though.)
Ah, such a poetic soul he is.
It had to happen eventually
From experience.
The party is supposed to win. For a GM, it feels like you lose. It's a VERY rare GM that can handle that. The only way most GMs can deal with burnout is to play in someone else's dungeon more than they GM. This means at least 3 GMS in the area.