Quite literally a million miles from anything, a metal thing about the size of a small bus appeared. One moment it did not exist; the next, it did.
Electronics inside the metal thing went to work. They checked a meter monitoring the drain on the object’s electric and mana batteries. Finding the electric system charging from the solar panels and the mana batteries discharging at an acceptable rate, it abandoned the emergency-revert program and entered its short protocol of exploration.
The object took a series of photographs of its surrounding area, including two that included the blue-white planet and its large gray moon not too far away. It attempted to connect a telepresence spell and failed. It listened for radio signals and found none. It observed the heat from the local star, the lack of air pressure outside, and a few other minor pieces of scientific equipment.
Finally, it triggered a complex spell, one which had its own separate battery. The magic detected a planet of the proper mass within five percent, oriented the craft so the scanning device faced that world, and conducted a rapid, broad sweep of the world and anything orbiting it. It found only the planet and its one moon, and a host of life forms on the planet’s surface. When its scans were later replayed, they would show continents familiar to the beings that created it.
With all experiments having been completed and with mana batteries still holding sufficient charge, the object shut down all nonessential functions, aligned itself with exquisite precision, and ceased to exist again.
And a few inches away in a direction not perceivable by mortal senses, the space probe ESA-58, also known as Angel Two, reappeared, recharged its mana batteries, and reported success to its creators.
“It worked! It worked! It worked!”
The sight of an alicorn princess doing the most discoordinated happy dance imaginable was restricted to the small group of people in Cape Friendship’s research and development main office. Most of the observers thought this for the best.
“Variable magic environment requires variable magic output for spells! Adjustable spell arrays allow for operation of technomantic systems under multiple conditions and for multiple purposes!” Twilight Sparkle hopped, kicked, stepped, and even pronked around the room, oblivious to the others present.
“And more to the point,” a deep and resonant voice cut through the giggling and babbling, “Angel Two detected the interdimensional beacon and followed it home. The backup system wasn’t required.” Warner von Brawn, the minotaur chief scientist of the Changeling Space Program, stretched his beefy arms and added, “Though we should test the backup system live in the near future.”
“Test, schmest! Let’s just go get them!” The lanky, greasy-maned figure seated next to the minotaur rocket scientist- the person who signed his paychecks- slapped a hoof on the conference table. “We’ve got a robot that can hop from one dimension to another. Just keep hopping until we find the one that has our people in it, and then follow the probe!”
“It’s not that simple,” von Brawn rumbled, not the least ruffled. “Starlight Glimmer’s and Cherry Berry’s reports both make clear that the Bucephalous- like planet they crashed on was much closer than Bucephalous should have been when they made their unplanned hop. We have only a vague upper-dimensional vector to trace them by, determined by scans of their life support connections. We have yet to test a piloted ship making the same hop to ensure the system can be successfully run manually.”
“Blah blah blah,” Queen Chrysalis replied. “We’ll work it out as we go. We always have! So quit stalling and do it!”
“Hold yer horses, Yer Queenship,” Applejack, present as Cape Friendship’s senior flight controller, replied. “We ain’t got Concordia’s Sparkle Drive built yet, much less on orbit an’ docked.”
“Oh. Right.” Chrysalis slumped back in her chair. “How long?”
“More testing,” von Brawn said. “At least a month just for the drive, then two weeks to get the drive unit attached to the rest of Concordia.” The minotaur made an equivocating motion with one massive hand and said, “Call it six weeks. Six weeks from whenever the princess stops dancing.”
The words cut through Twilight’s self-congratulation, and the Princess of Friendship finally remembered where she was. “Oh. Right, sorry,” she said, returning to her own seat. “What is Concordia’s status, anyway?”
“Right where we left it,” Chrysalis muttered. “Rainbow Dash and Occupant go up next week to relieve the station-keeping crew. Their mission will also top off the rocket fuel tanks. Fleetfoot and I relieve them two weeks later. After that all that’s left is the Sparkle Drive unit and to stock the ship with emergency food for twelve.”
The others in the room, a mixture of ESA and CSP senior staff, nodded their heads.
Whereas Amicitas had been based on an existing Equestrian Space Agency ship, Concordia was new construction based mostly on Changeling Space Program modular design. The ship was essentially a second space station, manufactured in pieces, launched on boosters, and assembled in orbit. It was as kludgy and graceless as Amicitas had been sleek and beautiful… but the project had gone from blueprints to orbit in less than eighty days. Now it sat in orbit, conventional rocket engines fully fueled and ready to launch it to the Moon or Bucephalous or wherever. It was the largest thing in orbit over Equus that wasn’t made of rock or ice.
“We should probably select the final crew for the rescue mission,” Twilight Sparkle said. “After all, once Mark’s people have their ascent ship ready, we need to be ready to go at any time. We’ll need to train for the mission, probably including a shake-down cruise for Concordia.”
“What’s to choose?” Chrysalis muttered. “Me for CSP, Rainbow Dash for ESA- our two best remaining pilots. Pick four other names out of a hat. All we’re doing is popping over a universe or three, making a rendezvous, and popping back.”
“We need an experienced commander and a backup pilot,” Twilight Sparkle insisted.
“Myself and Rainbow Dash,” Chrysalis repeated matter-of-factly.
“And an engineer, someone to monitor the Sparkle Drive, a medic for the ponies, and someone to take care of Mark if his people can’t retrieve him,” Twilight said. “With a racial balance-“
“We take the best,” Chrysalis insisted. “This isn’t a publicity stunt this time, princess. We are going to bring back our own. Dash and I are the best pilots. Find the best medic, the best engineer, and your best assistant for that magic hoppy drive of yours-“
“I’m going myself,” Twilight said quietly.
There had been times, and circumstances, when Chrysalis would have delivered some snarky comment, generally attacking Twilight Sparkle’s fitness for space. This time she simply nodded and said, “All right. Three to go, then. Who else?”
Twilight noticed, allowed herself to feel warm and fuzzy at the changeling queen’s tacit endorsement, and began listing options for Concordia’s engineer.
AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 110
ARES III SOL 111
ESA: To Starlight Glimmer. Message begins. Quote.I know you don’t like to remember this, but we think you need to. You’re very good at making things work even when broken. When you ran Our Little Town, you kept everything running, even after you stole our cutie marks. The food wasn’t good, but we had plenty. The houses weren’t pretty, but we were dry and warm. We lived in a barren wasteland just below the snowline, and we built a town that’s still here. You did that, and you can do it again. We believe you will survive, Starlight, and we’re all rooting for you! – Double Diamond and the ponies of Our Little Town. End quote. Over.
AMICITAS: Message received. Starlight just buried her head in her cot, over.
ESA: Twilight says she believes in Starlight too. And that Starlight doesn’t need to worry about the past. Get her head out of the cot and put it to use, over.
AMICITAS: Who is this, Chrysalis? Moondancer? Over.
ESA: Drying Paint. Just observing. Out.
INTERVIEW #5
What is your name? Fireball.
What did you do on your ship? I was second pilot. Also, if we need go out in space, I go first.
How did you get into space flight? Was ordered to.
Who do you have waiting for you back home? My stuff if no stolen.
What are your impressions of humans? Dipsticks. But you make cool machines.
Do you look forward to visiting Earth after your rescue? Yes. Want to learn to drive a car.
What will you do when you finally go home? Take my stuff back, find cave, tell world to (untranslatable noise).
What is your favorite disco song? The song that plays after turn radio off.
If there were one little thing (not a ship) you could have from home, what would it be? Book of English bad language with pony translation.
What message do you have for the people of Earth? You might be near dragon if you make more car chases.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
That is all.
Well, once they do find the right universe, maybe they could teleport in some supplies or something. It could get to Mars faster than stuff from Earth could anyway.
That probe might see some horrific things before it finds the crew.
Like popping into a universe with magic and ponies... Gen3 ponies.
So they built a Skylab sized station? Spoiler for CSP there.
Of course Fireball is the type of being that learns the majority of swears in a different language as soon as they can.
They need to send them a copy of Mad Max: Fury Road on the resupply probe. Fireball might just revise his opinion on humanity after that.
I just want to note that you seem to have stopped numbering the interviews with this chapter
Awe we don't get to know what "buck off" sounds like to english speakers.
Yay Equis' probe worked! Twilight doing her happy dance is always adorable.
Bets that Angel 2 “finds” EqG before Watney & co.?
(Or even stranger, stumbles across the “Oversaturated” version...)
8792337
that would be impossible, sadly. the only teleport link Equestria has with their crew is over the ships life support systems, and that only good for teleporting air and water. the system...really doesnt like carbon bonds between atoms. its a problem that was present in the early days of Equestrian spaceflight when the system was proposed, and Twi has been struggling with it since. basically, Twi tried teleporting an alcohol based test fuel through the system first. Pinkie referred to the results of that test as 'quite a pretty explosion'. Twi also, at Pinkies insistence, attempted the process on a cupcake. according to Pinkie, 'that explosion wasnt so pretty...'
Aha. I wondered when we'd see where Twi ran off to mid-communication awhile back. Just developing a successful interdimensional probe, no big deal. Necessity is the mother, indeed...
No radio signals or satellites, but life and familiar continents... yeah of course not Mark's Earth. That... could take awhile. Wonder if there's a way to narrow down the search.
So naturally, NASA or some other organization will detect the probe (or whatever signals it emits), and mention the phenomenon to Watney and Co., right? I mean, out of the infinite Equestria-Bucephalous / Earth-Mars universes, the ESA still need to know which one is the correct one, right?
Without some sort of confirmation via Starlight, just because the probe found a similar magicless universe, doesn't mean it's the correct one. For example, the probe could find itself in the universe in which the Amicitas never appeared, but Mark is still stranded on Mars; the book/movie canon universe.
8792367
Well... If they find they right universe they could use Angel 2 or a similar probe, not the limited teleport spell currently available.
8792363
Nah, I'm betting it finds a universe in which Chrysalis successfully conquered Equestria, and then established its own space program, or some sort of Bizzaro universe in which the CSP was an incredibly efficient program from the start.
Wow. Chrysalis has REALLY mellowed out since she began plotting the CSP to take over the moon just to grab all it's power! Of course, we've seen a skosh of this in "Changeling Space Program", but I am excited when you continue the story so we can see even more of the progression that's obviously happened to bring her to a point where she not only cares THIS MUCH about getting one of her changelings back (I know I know, people are going to tell me she cares about all her changelings on some level, but I'm pretty sure she was much more used to making sacrifices out of her changelings' lives back when they were constantly hiding and stealing love for food), but also that she would be willing to accept Twilight as the best option without even a snarky comment. YAY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!
at this point, it is easy to find the world build a gateway and boom no bad ass rocket to get back home.
also that i would like to see the probe get too close to earth and seeing it freak out being like "AAAHHH A UFO WE ALL GOING TO DIE!!"
also for fireball.... boy if you see every action movie and the wars we fight in you see we are dragons too.... and the junk we hoard too
I have a moral dilemma with chapters like this which makes me sad. Obviously I would like the characters to be rescued, and not die on Mars. But mostly I hope they aren't rescued anytime remotely soon, because this story is the highlight of my day
...I want to see Fleetfoot and Chrysalis in a room together. I'm not sure the world is ready for that.
derpicdn.net/img/2017/6/3/1452830/full.png
What is your favorite disco song? 'Burn baby burn, disco inferno...'
So this chapter was the straw that broke the camels back for me.
One would think that this story would at some point tone down on its pony bias, their problem solving magic not withstanding. Space flight and station orbit in 4 years, dimension hopping in 100 days. If this was a more faithfull examination on the lengths one has to go to survive on Mars, rather than the hand waving of our universes laws by 'Magic', I feel the story would feel much better.
Alas. We have magic that casually trivialises the human sacrifices and ingenuity that took us two wars and half a century of toil to enact. The ponies in this story stopped being any sort of foil to NASA ages ago. They serve as contrast to human space-faring inferiority who cannot simply bend the laws of universes to their will.
That the basement of this story is The Martian makes this chapter even more sobering
8792414
Especially if it's DWK's version of Fleetfoot. The one who threatened to skin Rainbow's parents and then buck Rainbow while wearing them.
The name Concordia makes me think of Borderlands Pre-Sequel
I am confused about where the probe went. So there’s a blue white planet with a large gray moon. Is that not Earth or its double? Then what is the life bearing planet with recognizable continents?
A few weeks later, ESA and NASA receive a rather worrying message:
Life is a hell in our Hab,
We're always filled with fear,
We only have to sniff around,
To know that we're all here.
In our Hab, in our Hab,
We're running out of luck,
Everything is breaking down,
Mars don't give a fuck.
8792423
Imagine if we had trivial antigravity and reactionless thrusters. We’d have spread throughout the solar system by the late 1800s.
8792438 Of course; whose Twitter feed to you think that image came from?
8792450
Multiverse theory. Equestria and Earth are the same planet. The probe popped out in a universe that was neither above that same planet.
So how many different universes are going to end up following the probe back to CSPquestria and invade it for various reasons as their probes/craft continue to infringe on various unknown people's space? I'm thinking twentyish.
8792478
Eh, I'ma go with nine.
8792383
still wont work, to get an accurate teleport, the sender would have to know exactly where they were sending the stuff...like within inches and even that might be too wide a margin of error, not to mention that the power requirements for a teleport rack up alarmingly fast the further ur trying to send. if every teleport capable unicorn and Alicorn was powering the spell then, well theres a good chance that it still wont work. really, a teleport spell is even worse calculations than trying to travel through hyperspace in the Star Wars verse, and while Twi could without a doubt, pull off that level of math in her head and in her sleep...if her aim is off by so much as a micron then shes just burn herself out for nothing and probably wipe out a good chunk of Mars while shes at it...assuming she has the power to pull it off in the first place, which she doesnt.
8792423
As pointed out, the two pony space programs still has quite a bit to accomplish. They have a 'direction,' but not a 'distance' and they will need to stop in EVERY dimension between the two.
To give context, imagine driving from New York to Washington DC....without knowing how far away DC was, and very little about what DC looks like...with no signs or other such directions? Do you stop every km? Every 10 kms? What if you need to find something more specific, like the Washington Monument, how often do you stop then? If you went too far, how would you know?
Now instead of something obvious....do the same thing between two small blink and you miss it towns. We don't know if Equestria and Earth look the same....we do know Mars is somewhat closer to Earth then Bucephalous is to Equestria....and they know a lack of magic occurs in the dimensions....but this means each dimension they must test the Earth like planet for life and the Mars like planet for its orbital position....and hope that no two dimensions share those two features.
Cause it will suck to arrive in a dimension, travel to its Mars like world, only to find that, ONCE AGAIN its the wrong place.
The author clearly wants both programs to arrive at Mars at roughly the same time, or at least make both options of rescue appear viable. Of the problems that the Ponies have to overcome, reproducing a glitch and dealing with a lack of Magic (something that Starlight has had to do since she arrived) is the LEAST difficult bit. They are now looking for a needle in a hay stack.
You know, in season 8, I hope they tone down reminding Starlight of her mistakes. She's more than earned her forgiveness.
You don't see them reminding Discord about the time he betrayed all of them and Equestria.
8792423
... They're not a foil to NASA, they're a parallel to kerbal space program. You're literally complaining about a lack of sobering realism in a universe with toon physics.
Canonically the ponies went from biplanes to a mars landing in 4 years and only now you're having a problem with it?
What would be cool is if the Ponies use the dimension hopping to get to Earth instead, and then work with the humans there to get everyone home using the native physical laws. Seems like the best way to strike a fair balance between the ponies being useless and the ponies being a deus ex machina.
8792373
I still strongly believe tracing the pony suit crystals/spell is their only chance of finding the correct universe. When you're trying to filter what's effectively an infinite amount, it's always going to be infinite amount still left to search. That's the problem when dealing with infinities.
I rather curious if that modular ship the CSP built in orbit, the Concordia, is about the same size as the one returning from Mars? (Watched The Martian last night again and I just can't remember what that ship was named)
Like I said probably ~30 chapters ago, ESA/CSP sending a rescue ship initially seemed by far the most probable outcome, but this far into the story...it would be a disappointment. It's trivializes most of the story. It means that everything NASA has done was pointless. It means that everything Hermes did was pointless. It means that most of the efforts of the characters on Mars were pointless. They could have simply said "here we are" back on Sol 10 or so, stuck everyone in a changeling pod and gone afk until the rescue ship showed up, and everything they ever did to build the farm in the hab, and moving Amicitas, and building the cave farm and contacting Earth...none of it mattered.
It would be a far more satisfying outcome if those on Mars were to build a cranky deathbox ship from scrap and then beat Hermes back to Earth, and then CSP's rescue ship showed up leading into a nice setup for a sequel, as Twilight and Chrysalis formally initiate diplomatic contact with Earth and ask Dragonfly and Starlight to stay to observe while Twilight sets up a permanent portal and Cherry gets stuck as defacto ambassador.
8792490
You misunderstand. I don't mean 'teleport stuff right to them'. I mean teleport a probe to that universe, not just with sensors to figure out where it is. Basically, send a supply probe, much like NASA is planning to do. In theory, it could be prepped more quickly than Concordia, especially since all it has to do is land intact, not lift off again.
8792519
Hermes, and yeah they definitely need to narrow it down somehow. We have proof of concept, but the next step is no easier.
8792522
The last chapter established that they had 7 days of food remaining prior to the farming.
This chapter establishes a best case scenario rescue mission being 6 weeks away, assuming they actually find the right universe by then.
So how was it pointless?
It would be hilarious if Whatney & Co got rescued by a third universe in search of their stowaways. And the subsequent confusion when everyone understands that interdimensional traffic might just become a problem in the next few years...
I thought for sure that would be an opening for Spike.
8792524
again, power and aim r issues here. Twi acting alone doesnt have the power to pull the port off, and even if she had help from every other princess and unicorn, she couldnt do it. and even if she could, her aim would still have to be astronomically precise to avoid a blip...that has Bad Day written all over it, if a port blips. beside, as stated, the whole argument is moot as it was stated in the very first chapter that only the Elements of Harmony, or a similar artifact, could pull off the magic power for the port.
8792411
cool also i like to ponit out that when the ponies do come to earth and see it and the humans come to there world and see real magic.... think of the live action rpg they would do in the pony world.
but also am more worry for the dragons the most when they come to earth given they live to get stuff... there going to be the new hoarders and all that and a new line of pony smart phones for them and having to face a new wave of smartphone user that are addict to there phones.... dragonfly is doom if she get on earth with one
Equus has a space station? How many chapters of CSP is it going to be until we see that?
also..... DON"T give her a smartphone right away when twilight come to earth the last thing we need is a zombie twilight
or her taking a class on her addicted
8792622
You aren't getting me at all here. That probe just LITERALLY teleported to a different universe. That is what happened IN THIS CHAPTER. That is how they get to other universes; that is how this fic started.
So now, here's what you do. Once that same probe (Angel 2), which is teleporting to different universes as of the chapter we just read, finds the right one (which again, is the big problem right now, hence my 'how do we narrow it down' comment), they have another probe ready to go with supplies. It gets where it's going, proper universe that is, and goes, standard propulsion, to its destination. Precision isn't as big an issue as you seem to think; Angel 2 can take all manner of readings just from what we've seen here, and the Sparkle Drive's teleport matrix has failsafes to prevent the sort of collision you're suggesting (again, that kicked off this whole fic). So they'll have a very good idea of how to calibrate the thing well enough to put it close without seriously risking anything. If they fail... well so did NASA in the original fic, so what's the harm in trying?
The advantage? Much less fuel needed than anything launched from Earth surface here, might get to Mars before sol 600 (or whenever NASA's first supply run was slated). This on the idea that a smaller vessel, automated, could be ready to go much quicker than Concordia, in the same way that NASA's supply ship will be ready long before Hermes can get back there. They still have to wait for help to get our intrepid explorers off Mars, and it's looking more and more like that could end up being a joint operation.
Earth will probably begin projecting a radio beacon to positively identify the right universe.
I think the final mission plan will be Concordia warps to Bucephalus, changes dimensions to Mars, rendezvous with Ares IV MAV with Mark and friends aboard after an even rougher road trip than in the book. The MAV will be able to make it because it doesn't have to catch Hermes going by at interplanetary speed like in the book. Then Concordia changes dimension back to Bucephalus (with Mark aboard), warps back to Equestria, then changes dimensions to Earth to drop Mark off. In the meantime, our heroes need to not die, which is all up to NASA and their own ingenuity. Very likely Hermes plays no part in this -- no Rich Purnell maneuver.
8792657
that would be a huge problem right there if they join up if you blow down to it
there the something but on upset side of the coin here, sure they know how to use our way of thinking and logic but for a long ass time and not in the less 200 years like we have found out about the unvers that we all live in-universe and the ponies are just started to get to understand it.
what is coming is where the tv show Steven Universe world work where magic and non-magic lived side by side, even tho there more ahead of us in space travel there mind sent and using another tech (see the eps where peridot use human tech to replace her lost tech) and you see what i mean it does work out but its very hard.
Its like trying to build a cruise ship but only how the blue print of a basic row bout or sail bout, you can laern from it and build from it but having it right away is not possble
Yay, progress! Twilight's happy dance is so adorkable. I wonder how many sols it will be before the rescue mission.
8792724
everyone love a happy twilight
8792453
Heheheh... consider that an AU that's begging to be written...