My Little Pony: My Little Pony The Martian

AMICITAS Mission Three – Mission Day 232

ARES 3 solar day 230

Mark started eating, which was quite a victory. Every time he took a forkful, he had to be reminded repeatedly before he continued to eat, and his chewing speed was as slow as a foal who decided to challenge the maximum number of pieces of bubble gum he could chew at one time, but the food was finally eaten. Spit it out again. This is already a big improvement.

Cherry Berry took the initiative to take care of Mark. She had occasionally volunteered at Ponyville Hospital, and had worked countless weird odd jobs, taking care of older horses who no longer had the energy to do the chores at home on their own. At this moment, Mark is just like them... except that the current situation is much more extreme than her previous experience.

Everyone is doing their best to continue working. Yesterday, Starlight Glimmer and Fireball set up the fallen engine to prepare for testing. They also checked as much as possible to ensure that the engine did not suffer any visible damage in the accident. Feihuo was responsible for constantly checking Mark's key vital signs, feeding him water and taking vitamin tablets; however, her simple and crude clinical care attitude significantly increased the difficulty of the operation. Giving Mark such direct orders would only make him intensify his silent resistance and refusal to cooperate. In the end, Spitfire could only forcefully push the vitamins into his mouth, and then open the gap between his lips to fill him with water.

But according to Dr. Shields, just having these reactions is cause for celebration. True catatonia have no awareness of their surroundings; Mark, although slow, was at least responsive to external stimuli. His problem was a lack of motivation. He didn't want to do anything, and it took constant coaxing, coercion, and inducements to pressure him into taking action.

What's even more worrying is that there are only two words in his dictionary now: "Bess" and "Johnson", which he blurts out with some hope every morning when he wakes up, and sighs and murmurs into his sleep at night.

But today he was finally able to chew food - not really enjoying it, maybe not even tasting it, just mechanically chewing it. (Cherryberry was sure of that; the meal was half a random selection of food packets and half potatoes, and even then the tiny drop of ketchup on Mark's plate remained untouched. And because of Mark's His consciousness was not paying attention to anything at all, including the meal in front of him. Maybe he didn't see the drop of ketchup at all.) Spitfire mentioned a space suit drill, but this time Berry didn't agree. Now try to push Mark to eat frequently and eat as much food as he can bear. Everything else needs to be put on the back burner.

Finally, Mark put down his fork, unwilling to take another bite no matter how hard he begged, but there was still a disappointing amount of food on the plate. However, compared to the first two days when almost no rice was eaten, this was already the second consecutive meal that Mark was willing to cooperate with, so it was still a small success for Berry. She took the dinner plate away and put it back in the small refrigerator in the cabin, and waited until a few hours later to take it out and reheat it.

"Has he finished eating?" Starlight asked. "I have something special for him!" She stood up on her hind legs and rested her front hooves on his knees. "NASA has received some very special news from his family and friends! Would he like to hear it now?"

Mark didn't move. A computer floated to the table in front of him, and his eyes didn't move even an inch.

"Dr. Shields said that the voices of his relatives and friends might be able to revive him." Starlight quietly explained to Berry.

However, the photos on the screen were not those of his teammates on Hermes. They didn't look like Mark's parents, but the man seemed to be about the right age. With a head full of fluffy gray hair, a rough white beard, and wild and sharp eyes shooting out of the computer screen, a voice that reminded Berry of Doctor Who (Time Turner) in Pony Town spoke, "Hello, Mark! I'm David. Tennant. I'm sorry I can't bring the TARDIS to pick you up, but I would help if I could. Just wanted to let you know that there are many people on Earth supporting you. You are the pride of humanity. Next time you go up I would be honored if you would accompany me in space. Best wishes!"

Mark deadpanned.

Photos switched. Her hair has changed a bit, and the jumpsuit looks old and wrinkled after long-term wear and tear, but she still looks like the original Ares commander, Melissa Lewis. "Mark, this is Lewis." Her voice was crisp and clear, "I'm not very good at joking now. I just want you to remember: We are here to rescue you, and we will definitely take you home. I will never lose you again. .”

Mark made no move.

Another new photo, this time of a smiling man with short hair and sallow skin. "Hey~, Mark! Rick is here!" the other party said, "Do you remember? That Martinez? Is that the guy who drives the spaceship you mentioned? Tell you, I have stepped on the accelerator to the bottom now. We'll be there soon, so be careful not to fall for your alien harem beauty trap. By the way, Spitfire, some of my brothers in the Air Force have pictures of her in their lockers. See you!"

Spitfire choked. Mark still didn't react at all.

"Mark, this is Chris Baker." The person who spoke was changed, and the picture changed to a man who looked more like Mark. "Your alien friends want to help you. Do as they say. We all need you to get through this. Our team needs your contribution. You may feel like you have nothing left, but I know you are always here. .It’s going to be okay, Mark. Trust me.”

Cherry Berry felt that these words were not very good. Mark was obviously indifferent to this.

The next photo is of a large, bald man. "Hello, Watney," he said with a thick accent, "Vogel here. What did you do to my supervillain lair?! I can't believe the mess you made. You The kid is probably going to steal my sausage next! I'll be back to deal with you in two hundred and twenty-one days, Mark. Then give me a good explanation of what happened!"

The tone of the words made Berry feel unbelievable, but these words did make Mark's expression change for the first time - the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the picture that Berry was both looking forward to and afraid of appeared on the screen, and the voice began to play. "Hi, Mark. This is Beth. Beth Johnson."

Mark's eyes widened instantly. "Johnson," he murmured softly.

"I don't know what to say now." Johnson's voice continued to play, "I have read the Starlight report. The only thing I can say is that I was not present whether on Sol 40 or Sol 228. But I Wish I was here. I wish I could be by your side right now to take you off Mars. But we're on our way, Mark. Wait for us."

At the end of this brief message, Mark's face returned to its original stagnation, and subsequent messages from Mark's parents failed to change him at all.

Mark didn't eat anything again that day.

When he went to bed, he sighed as usual, "Johnson." Everything still stayed at the same point, as if the news had never existed.