Sol 528
Venkat looked up at the knock on his office door. Randall Carter stood in the doorway, a sheepish expression on his face.
“Oh, no,” Venkat groaned. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I know it’s not good news.”
Randall shrugged. “Well, the good news is, it’s not another one of those weird storms,” he said. “But we’ve got a perfectly normal dust storm building in Hellas that’s shaping up already to go global.”
“How bad?” Venkat asked. “And will it hit Schiaparelli in the next three weeks?”
“Not very bad,” Randall said. “The Black Spot seems to have used up a lot of the atmospheric energy stored up by the heat wave. But given movement and expansion, we’re betting on at least some coverage of the Ares IV site by Sol 551. Say, fifteen to twenty percent reduction in solar energy reaching the surface. And, of course, the MAV will have to fly through that.”
“Ugh,” Venkat grunted, dropping his head into his hands. The Ares III MAV had launched through unimaginably worse weather without compromising hull integrity, but its windows and exterior camera pickups had paid the price. Martinez had had to dock half-blind. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me? Say, seismic activity in Tharsis? Olympus Mons getting ready to erupt?”
“No, that’s it for now,” Randall said. “The Ares I and II seismometers have been silent for months. Just a little dust and wind, that’s all.”
“That’s all,” Venkat echoed ironically. “All right, you’ve told me. Keep me posted if it begins behaving unusually… and by that I mean, ‘starts acting like another active attempt to kill Watney and his friends.’”
“Will do.”
AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 538
ARES III SOL 528
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Mark said for them all.
Six pairs of eyes stared at the message on the computer screen.
Five pairs of eyes turned to face the sixth.
“No, no, no,” Spitfire said bluntly. “One was enough. Not two.”
“Okay,” Mark said, “so it’s a dust storm. Lewis and the others launched in a dust storm a lot worse than this. They made it. So can we.”
“Maybe,” Starlight Glimmer said, shuffling her hooves. “If there’s a dust storm, that scratches any use of the Sparkle Drive in atmosphere. The spell would pick up the dust and try to find a dust-free spot to teleport to. In a storm, there wouldn’t be one. I can’t predict the results, but if we’re lucky the Drive would just fail and shatter like on Sol 6.”
“That’s okay,” Cherry said. “The Sparkle Drive is an emergency use only thing. It just means we have to be a little more careful on the way up. It barely changes the odds.”
“Yeah?” Fireball asked. “What are the odds?”
“According to the sims we’ve run and NASA computer predictions,” Cherry said, “ninety-seven percent.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Dragonfly said cheerfully. “Boss, you remember how many missions we launched with much worse odds than that, right?”
“Doesn’t make me feel better,” Fireball growled.
“It’s still ninety-seven percent,” Mark said. “Granted, that’s worse odds than old Soviet rockets… and those were real death-traps… yeah, I’m gonna shut up now.”
“Thirty-two out of thirty-three,” Cherry Berry said firmly. “Ninety-seven percent chance to make it up safely. Anyone want to guess our odds when we came down?”
Silence.
“I didn’t think so,” Cherry said. “We lived. And we’re going to live. This changes nothing.”
“Except that we can’t use the Sparkle Drive going up,” Starlight Glimmer pointed out.
“Not helping.”
Starlight Glimmer blinked awake. There was a light in the compartment, and it wasn’t coming from Fireball’s nostrils. She reluctantly slid off the cuddle pile, producing a soft grunt from the dragon, and shivered as her hooves touched the chilly uncovered deck.
Curled up in a cabinet that had been emptied of stored food, Cherry Berry stared at a computer screen, occasionally tapping a few keys, then staring at the screen again in intense concentration.
“Cherry,” Starlight hissed, “what are you doing?”
“Writing a message to send home,” Cherry murmured. “Just in case of the three percent. I’ll send it before I go back to sleep.”
“You said we’re all going to live,” Starlight whispered.
“We will,” Cherry said. “The numbers say we will. We worked hard to make sure we will. Mark’s people have done all sorts of things to make sure we will.” She waved a hoof at the computer. “But this makes me feel better. It’s like…” She considered the computer again. “It’s like, if I write this, nothing will happen. But if I don’t write it, something will, and the last thing I’ll think will be, ‘I never got to say such-and-so.’”
“And what is such-and-so you want to say?”
Cherry sighed. “I’m working on it.”
“Right,” Starlight said quietly. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Climbing back onto the cuddle pile produced only another quiet grunt. The others had become too used to one person or another getting up for a bathroom run in the middle of the night. The warmth of Fireball’s and Mark’s bodies felt wonderful compared to the deep chill of the metal deck, and Starlight closed her eyes in relief.
But she didn’t get back to sleep. Her mind spun around the question: what do I want to say, just in case?
Eventually she heard the sound of splashing in the head, on the other side of the pressure wall. There was the connection protocol, a signal to prepare for a long message, and the acknowledgments from Equestria, all easily recognizable if one had pony ears and couldn’t sleep.
Then she picked out the code that followed, the splashes of every letter clearly distinct:
Dear Princess Celestia,
While on Mars I learned just how lucky we ponies are to have princesses. It’s hard to stay calm when you want to be afraid. It’s hard to always know what to do when other ponies look to you for orders. I’ve done the best I know how, and I think it’s worked most of the time, but it’s such hard work. And every night I go to sleep wondering if I did it right. I can’t wait to get back home to Equestria, where we have princesses who know everything. I wouldn’t want your job for anything, and I’ll never take you for granted again.
Your humble subject,
Cherry Berry
A few last splashes later, Starlight felt Cherry climb back up onto the pile beside her. She stayed absolutely still, very carefully breathing in perfect regular intervals as Cherry nestled up next to her, slumped limply, and almost immediately began to snore.
On the other side of her, Spitfire stirred. “nnnn… Starlight, kick Cherry…” she muttered crossly.
Starlight gave a gentle nudge, and Cherry’s snoring became softer.
She listened to it the whole remainder of the night.
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where we have princesses who know everything.
Oh, Cherry. Now that you've tasted real responsibility, that's what you think? So close, and yet so far.
Mars just doesn't know when to give up... And I have a bad feeling...
It's starting to become real to them, that they might get off of Mars, that they might make it someplace safe and then back home. They are close enough now that they can start feeling it deep in their bones. It's not longer the plan for the future, but the thing they are doing now. There's be so much time and effort put just getting to this point that it's only slowly sinking in, that the way off Mars is now with in their grasp.
This bucking planet just doesn't know when to quit.
Question for all here. Where do you think they will wind up going first. Earth or Equis (Equestria)?
How reassuring it is to ask of another in the darkness, "Are you there?" And listen raptly for an answer, a simple, "Yes, I am."
It's awfully dark between Mars and home.
Wow. Mars doesn't give up easily, does it?
Immortal rulers are great and all, but when they have only lived for a few thousand years? I'll take a hard pass. They still got some maturing to do before they become adults
Oh Celestia isn’t perfect she pint like everyone else. Although being it being that literally raises and lowers the sun I can see why people would get the impression she’s perfect
Well, the good news is that a certain 2008 Tesla Roadster isn't going to be anywhere near Mars or Earth on May 24, 2037!
9209620
Phenix will link up with Hermes, they try to use the sparkle drive when CSP/ESA try something tp'ing Hermes with crew and stranding them in Eques space until a CSP ship brings them back to Eques and trying to find a way to send Hermes crew back to their earth. But hey that's just a theory...
💖Still, beautifully sentimental. Love it.💖
The fateful day is creeping closer yet again :) still excited to see your take on the ending. and potential spin off stories. Maybe not from you but other people. It would be neat to see "years later" stable portals being erected so people can visit and whatnot. Looking forward to the ascent though!
Snrk. Pfft. Hahahaha!
The spot where ship was originally?
Starlight is expected to have a good grasp on "lying to your subordinates for good" concept.
Well, it's not that hard: just delegate it to Twilight!
9209620
Logically, Earth. Equestria gave up on the Angel probes after the monstrosities, and won't be finding them without a massive spell going off on Earth side. The boosters *might* be massive enough, but that's dubious. The Sparkle Drive won't. The proper approach would be a great magical show by Starlight, on Earth, without batteries, but instead with a good million people in attendance - and providing magic.
Fuck off storm, I want to see the sparkle drive being used. All this build up to it and then, psyche! Maybe it’ll be used elsewhere in the trip, but at least the launch should have been guaranteed.
Listen here, Mars! You let them go, the humanity will focus on contact with Equestria, work on means of going there, and get a drive that will let it find planets more interesting than you. You kill them, and the contact with Equestria will be broken. All that will be left are artifacts they have left on your stupid face, and I can promise humanity will SWARM IN and leave no rock unturned until they have documented every last hair of pony fur and every last hoofprint they left. And by the time they are done they will have a big-ass city and a whole set of colonies all over your surface. And without the sparkle drive, it's gonna be aeons until they move past this solar system and by that time you will be covered in oceans and forests and have cows grazing and shitting on you.
Using the Sparkle drive was wrought with problems anyways, if they're worried about dust why aren't they worried about atmosphere?
9209620
I'm pretty sure it's been consistently spelled "Equus." As in, the taxonomical genus?
As letter, so story.
9209615
How appropriate then that the Mane Six 2.0 are just over three weeks from bucking Mars with Starlight's Replusors when they leave.
Are NASA working up an early leaving scenario, changing their thrust so as to launch early and have the Hermes overtake them on the return leg? Basically getting them off Mars before it can take its last shot at them.
9209899
Yup, that's my headcanon, too.
9210073 No. The MAV doesn't have room for more than seven days of food for the crew. Also, the sooner (or later) the MAV launches away from the optimum intercept time, the more delta-V is required to match vectors with Hermes when intercept comes.
Celestia shook her head, balled up the rough draft, and incinerated it for good measure. "We'll discuss this in person," she said to herself.
For the most part, she even believed it.
9210169
I already had feels reading this chapter AND THEN YOU GAVE ME MORE HOW DARE YOU.
Tch, the princesses dont know everything.
551 is almost here, I'm so EXCITED!!!
9210150
wait i have to ask this but given the movie take place in 2035 are you going to show clone meat when they get to earth?
i mean at that ponit farming would be so different by now if anything am willing to bet a few that there will be one town that is like this 80%
i.pinimg.com/originals/ce/e6/72/cee6723e7bf889fc9ff343698934d819.jpg
9210409
In 17 years? You're joking.
9210535
well given 17 years ago i would have called you carzy everyone stop using desktop computers for everyday use and ended up using your phone all the time.
and 17 years ago i would call you dumb that selfies would be a thing and people making drones for that.
so i fair to say ya i can see it happening
9210150
So any early launch attempt would be committing to a direct Earth abort path. And hoping their Mars Made Sparkle Drive held up for the trip.
9210985
What? Liberty Bell 7 was brilliant. And the tongue in cheek humor of Molly Brown was hilarious.
Yeah, Gus Grissom is a bit of a hero to me. Never was happy how he was treated in The Right Stuff.
9211071 NASA admins in the day had zero sense of humor. They still don't, really.
Yes, the princesses know perfectly well how to delegate any crises to Twilight.
9209615
Neither does the crew!
Martian demon cricket ghosts, "Hold our space beer..."
And then Mars spontaneously exploded.
So, after all the water waste from comms with Baltimare, I have to wonder. Did they try doing anything like trying to transmit current? Or even vibration -- leave the spigot open but cap the water in a container, and scavenge a piezo from a speaker to try to literally talk through the can on a string.
The calm just before the storm... No surprise to anyone...
Better save than sorry.
Dear Princess Celestia
Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation, or to choose governing officials to do so.
And guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top.
Glory to the Commonwealth
Okay but this is so sweet. Yes, Celestia doesn't really know everything, but she has a very thankless job proportionate to how long she's done it, and I imagine she'll really love hearing this <3
Also, I would gladly live on Mars for a year to sleep in a cuddle pile of ponies and changelings.
We all go out with regrets, the less, the better.