My Little Pony: My Little Pony The Martian

AMICITAS Mission Three – Mission Day 291

ARES 3 solar day 287

"Star - light -."

The scream immediately woke Starlight Glimmer. The cave was almost pitch dark, with only the indicator lights on the life-support system equipment box flickering faintly amid the surrounding crystals, reflecting numerous dark reflections. She could make out the sunlight-relay crystals embedded in the cave's ceiling; they showed no reflected light. Part of her couldn't help but wonder what the large crystals at the other end of the link, scattered on the side of the mountain above the cave, looked like at this moment in the night.

However, the rest of her heart was not in such a mood right now, and kicked the thought of enjoying the scenery to the corner with stars in her eyes. Finally, the dragonfly came out of the cocoon.

"Star - light -."

Listening to her hoarse voice and long vowels, not to mention the fact that the source of the voice was so close that it made Starlight panic, it was obvious that the dragonfly who had broken out of its cocoon was not in a normal state of mind at this time.

Then when I turned around, Xingguang thought to himself, what would I see? What Mark saw was Johnson, one of his former team members. Could what I saw be a gaping day? Or Twilight Sparkle? Or was it the dragonfly before this long nightmare began?

She slowly turned her head. In the dim nightlight, she couldn't see much. The exception is a pair of blue eyes that shine brightly in the deep darkness of the cave, almost as bright as the indicator lights. The layered shadows reflected on the crystals on the walls of the cave vaguely illuminate the opponent's fangs, especially the center. A pair of long fangs - incredibly long, so close that they shot into the starlight.

But Starlight Glimmer was prepared for this situation, and the countermeasure she came up with didn't even require a magic battery.

Light is the simplest kind of spell. Unicorns will instinctively learn to use magic to move objects first, but the energy consumption of glowing is the lowest. In fact, since the use of magic will naturally cause the target object to emit light that matches the color of the user's magic, preventing the magic from glowing is much more difficult than using magic to create a light source. So, putting a quick flashing spell on Dragonfly's face is a piece of cake for the (not to be shy about) most powerful unicorn in modern Equestria.

The changeling hissed and stepped back, its front hooves waving wildly in front of its eyes. Starlight took advantage of this gap to jump up, face to face with Dragonfly, and then began to implement the second part of her plan.

Before the starry-eyed Dragonfly could fully recover, a stream of water rushed straight towards her face, making her unable to open her eyes and shrinking back away from the source of the yelling voice: "No! Bad!" Changeling! Bad! No cake to eat!"

Starlight had to use a small portion of her magic reserves to lift the plant watering can, which was nearly full of water, in the air, but that was negligible compared to other spells she'd cast on Mars. She continued to press forward, trying to guide the dragonfly to a cave wall away from the cocoon...

...It ended up being too close, and two black hooves in the dark cave grabbed the watering can that was not black, and pulled it out of her magic before Starlight could react. The glowing eyes of the dragonfly disappeared, and all that could be heard was wolfing down, gasping for air, and constant coughing.

The changeling drank the liquid in the watering can quickly, and before he could fully breathe, something light and slender but powerful hit his head firmly and made a crisp sound.

"Bad changeling!" Starlight held up a long plastic pole and swung it violently, shouting from time to time, "Bad bug! Lazy bug! Uh... uh... the larvae in Japan are still starving!" she said again and again. One tap at a time, hoping to have some effect.

A ball of green fireflies surrounded her. Starlight felt herself being lifted off the ground and then thrown deep into the cave by a huge force. For almost five full seconds, she reflected in mid-air on the folly of her actions, and couldn't help but wonder what she would hit and how she would be painfully impaled; then, even she herself To her shock, she fell into the nearly full well at the back of the cave, causing a huge splash.

Starlight surfaced again, choking on water, coughing and panting heavily, waving frantically in search of a solid well wall. Her hoof touched something hard, and the safe touch beneath her hoof calmed her down. She dragged herself away from the freezing runoff and onto the shore, not caring that her wet hair was coated in the mud on the cave floor, and that gravel scratched the skin under her fur.

Looking far toward the other end of the cave, two blue eyes stared at her. A hoarse buzzing voice shouted to her, "I want..." After a cough, the voice continued, "This time I want to risk my life (*cough*) to believe that you are really (*cough*) Starlight , and this (*cough cough*) is not a dream.”

Then the voice couldn't hold on any longer, and he coughed violently for about ten seconds. In this period of time, Starlight had almost reached the halfway point from the well to the dying changeling, when the watering can of a plant that had been drained hit her head.

"Please bring me more water." Dragonfly begged in a voice as thin as a gossamer.

Go to hell. Go to hell. Go to hell. Go to hell. Go to hell. Go to hell.

I am here. You are not a stone. Give me instructions.

I am here. I will not give up. I am here.

No...no, but I saved Trixie! We escaped from the Storm King! This is impossible! This is not my fault! This is not the case!

She ignored the voices. They come and go and almost never make any sense. They are probably all just a dream anyway.

In her clearer moments, bit by bit, she remembered who she was, where she was, and why she was there. She hated this kind of moment, and kept trying to take herself away, close her mind, and free her from these chaotic memories forever. Unfortunately, it is at those moments that the sea of ​​sounds is loudest, sometimes even inexplicable nonsense, such as dwarves (what are dwarves?), hobbits (what are hobbits?), and Save rolls or lava (this is so stupid, must be a dream).

But now these voices have not disappeared. She could no longer fall asleep. She couldn't let her thoughts go anymore. Her mind, like her body, was returning to its original state bit by bit.

Everything around her was telling her that it was time to leave the cocoon, but that part of herself was still resisting. That part will just curl up tighter and say no. no. no.

Then a new voice came, weak but stern: Hello, outsider. What are you going to do?

She felt that her consciousness had left her body, and she was standing without any hooves in a realm that was lightless and soundless, but full of existence. At this moment, all existences focused their attention on her, without eyes, but with burning eyes.

The other person needs an answer urgently, but she doesn't understand the question itself. Who are you? she asked tentatively.

It's not relevant, the other replied sharply. You have to make a decision. What are you going to do?

Is this a dream? she asked again. Or is it a real existence?

It's not relevant, the voice repeated. Dreams are enough to become reality. And the real existence may finally disappear. Outsiders, stop delaying your decision.

But I don’t even know what you are talking about! She protested helplessly, feeling misty tears streaming down her cheeks.

This invisible gaze looked around her without any sympathy. Predator, the stern voice continued. Not my kind, but I understand you. Your race started out as monsters, then became parasites, and now you are pretending to be turning to animal agriculture. I've seen it all before. This is nothing new.

I still don't get it at all, she pleads.

You come from a soft world, the voice continued without answering. Death can deceive, negotiate, and even be its friend. The last word was spoken with a disgusted drawl. But you have come to a world that is not so soft. There are countless fragile islands of life, and this planet is not one of them. It is surrounded by an endless ocean of ruthless, indifferent, unthinkable and unstoppable death. All the struggles and efforts in this world will eventually come to nothing.

The gaze receded, no longer burning her soul, but there was still a power there. If she had a pointing hoof - if there was a direction here - then she could point straight to its source. I'm starting to understand, she said quietly.

Can? The other party asked sharply. Outsiders, creatures in my place have two strategies. Most of them create as many of their kind as quickly as possible. They know they have the most to lose, and they don't care. They know it's likely they will be sacrificed, and they don't care. Individuals are worthless; each only wants to protect themselves.

Well, she replied, that doesn't make any sense.

Another tactic, the stern voice continued, was just the opposite. There are only a few individuals, but all efforts and energy are devoted to those few individuals and cherish them. Protect them. The individual is everything; thus unity makes us one.

No, she was defeated, I guess I still can’t understand it.

Do not understand? The stern voice asked again. Outsiders, you've lived your life using both strategies. Now you have to decide between the two.

What happens when I make a choice?

Whatever is going to happen will happen.

She sat in the boundless world that was not space, spent a fleeting eternity, and kept trying to think, but all her efforts to understand were in vain.

Then the burning sensation became more intense, and she was wrapped tightly by that gaze. The deafening voice came from all directions and tortured her in her heart:

select!

The next moment, Dragonfly felt that she was involuntarily thrown to the muddy ground under the cocoon. She barely remembered feeling her right front hoof kicking down to open the cocoon's seal; she had no memory of making such a decision.

About ten steps away from her came the sound of thunderous snoring.

It took her a while to get up; during the brief fall, she accidentally pinned her right front leg underneath her and sprained it. Then she coughed; the long absence of water had made her extremely thirsty, and every breath stung her throat.

She looked closely at the pony sleeping in the dark cave. Why is she the only one? she thought to herself. It would be too bad if she was the only survivor. Otherwise, this approach is simply stupid. Didn't I emphasize long ago that I am dangerous?

It was pitch dark inside the cave, but she could still see the long mane and horn through the dim light reflected from the crystals on the walls. She watched Starlight's hind legs twitch a few times; she was clearly experiencing some sort of nightmare.

Okay, why not wake her up now, drink some water, and get back into the cocoon. Tingting hoped that she would not encounter those weird dreams again. No matter when or where, philosophy is much scarier than the monsters of Hive Waste.

"Starlight." She could barely hear her faint cry with her own ears, and she had to suppress the burning of her thirsty throat when she was forced to speak, and suppress the thought of coughing. She tried to squeeze out some saliva, but found that she couldn't even close her mouth. She suddenly realized that she was almost out of breath with thirst.

But Starlight has woken up. She saw the twitch, followed by an unnatural freezing. She could feel the fear rising in the other person's body. But she didn't get up, nor did she scream in panic. Did something happen? "Starlight," she tried to lower her voice and call in a soft whisper, but her voice refused to cooperate. Still no movement.

Just when Dragonfly was about to let Starlight lie down for a while longer, she stopped by the faucet on the lower side of the farm to get some water, when a ball of light as bright as the sun exploded about half an inch from the tip of her nose.

What happened next was one thing after another, and the end result was that Dragonfly dunked Starlight into the well and took a bath; by this time any impression of strange voices talking to her in the cocoon had long been forgotten. She was far behind.

The pony and the changeling sat facing each other, and she summoned a faint light that lit up the air above the tree stump.

The dragonfly looked...still shriveled and shriveled. Although the holes in her body were not as big as before, they were still larger than normal. Her flabby carapace drooped and wrapped around her muscles. Everything but her eyes looked the same as the day she used her magic to lift a one-ton rocket engine. However, the wide-open eyes were full, alert, and shining quietly, and the throat returned to normal after swallowing two watering bottles full of water.

"Then, what are you doing here?" Chongzi asked.

"Finding a way to get you out of that cocoon," Starlight replied, "We've been trying to coax you out for almost two months."

"Really?" Tingting said in a tone of complete disbelief, "Why did you do such a stupid thing?"

"Don't be stupid," Starlight replied angrily, "We can't get out of here without you."

The pair of glowing blue eyes were half-closed, "This is too sweet," the fluttering dragonfly coquettishly said, "But you can't let pony's feelings influence your decision in a place like this. I respect everyone around me. It's a threat. Shouldn't that be obvious?"

"Stop talking nonsense, listen to me," Xing Guanghui said, "Don't show off your narcissism in front of me. Without you, we really can't leave here. The space suit needs maintenance. Various electronic equipment related Work. Strapping nets for rovers. Battery liners. That kind of thing." With a flash of blue light, she picked up her damaged space suit and threw it at the changeling, rolling it up like an old blanket. Cover her body.

"Oh." The changeling's ear fins drooped a little. She stretched out her hooves and pulled down the spacesuit covering her head, examining the patches that had been applied to the damaged areas last time, "Then what are you using recently?"

"Your suit, of course," Starlight replied, "It's been over three weeks."

Dragonfly nodded after hearing this and put the spacesuit aside, "I thought this had something to do with pony friendship or something."

"Never said it wasn't," Starlight replied, "but pony friendships can wait six months. As for space suit patches and spaceship engineers, we can't wait long."

Dragonfly shrugged; pragmatism was part of the changeling's racial nature, after all. "You know, I'm still pretty dangerous right now," she began to evade, "even now I feel hungry. It's not as bad as before, but I might get like that again. When Things will definitely be worse when we leave the cave."

"Then we will find a solution then," Starlight refused to give up. "Even if the situation is worse, we can at least take your cocoon all the way to Schiaparelli, as long as you tell us in advance that you will use it. I’ll just ask you to come out in any way.”

"But……"

"Stop talking about excuses. Look at me," Starlight stared straight into those glowing eyes, "No matter how you want to quibble, I can guess it, because I have walked this road too. You squeezed Mark dry, It took one horse off our team. Then when you realize what you did, you just run away. I know that feeling because I've done the exact same thing before."

"But you didn't drain all the emotions..."

"The key point," Starlight roared, and the changeling immediately realized the point and fell silent, "is that I didn't turn one individual into a walking zombie. Instead, I turned dozens of them. I brainwashed the entire village. In order to satisfy my ego, I Kidnapped their lives. After that, I destroyed the horse country dozens of times. Xiaoxiao, it took me a long time to realize that I was not a righteous party. Want to share the experience of guilt and evasion of responsibility? You don’t know better. How high is it?"

"But……"

"No. No matter what reason you have, it's absolutely not okay." Starlight didn't give Dragonfly any chance to speak, "No more hiding. You spent two months on Mars. You're lucky. Vacation. That's it. Time to get to work, and trust me, we've got a lot of work here waiting for you to do."

Dragonfly sighed, "Are you sure..."

"It piles up."

"Okay, okay," she surrendered, "work. I'm a worker. Work is my job."

"First of all, I want to apologize to everyone for my behavior of avoiding the problem," Xingguang said, "including Mark." She paused and said, "Now that I think about it, it should also include Cocoon."

Dragonfly groaned and collapsed on the tree stump, "Are you really so sure that I can't go back to the cocoon?"

Time passes little by little. Dawn arrives, followed by breakfast, after which the venue comes alive. There were hugs, angry scoldings, and sometimes both.

The message was then sent to Malaysia and generated a very, very long reply.

"Do you think she noticed that she was in the mud?" Mark, who was watching, asked.

"Judging from what Cocoon told her," Xingguang raised one ear and listened carefully to the sound of water, "Probably not."

"What is she talking about?"

"Definitely not the kind of thing that would go into a hobbit story."

The splashing finally stopped, and Tingting typed a short reply to indicate that she had received the news before turning to everyone, "I'm sorry that I ran away from the battle, and asked everyone to carry all the burden for me." Tingting said to the refugees gathered around They apologized, "And Mark, I shouldn't have sucked you dry and tossed you aside like an empty juice box. I'm so sorry."

"That doesn't matter...Wait a minute, what did you say?" Mark's focus quickly wandered, "You also have juice boxes there?"

"Uh...right?"

“The kind with little straws wrapped in wrapping paper?”

"That's not the point," Starlight warned.

"Yes, that's right," replied Dragonfly, "foals carry this thing with them all day long."

"But...but..." Obviously, Mark was more shocked that the ponies invented the juice box than he became an emotionless zombie, "But how the hell did you..."

"Just concentrate!!!" Starlight yelled.

"But...but hooves and plastic wrappers..."

"Actually the packaging is wax paper."

"But this will only cause more problems!"

Starlight heard Fireball muttering behind her, "It's so easy to make humans forgive, isn't it?"

The unicorn found himself silently calculating how hard he would have to hit his head against the tree trunk to break it.

This of course refers to the tree stump. How could she have such luck to break her head.

The situation has returned to Situation Normal: All Bucked Up.

[13:21] Watney: Hello people of Earth. Here is the dragonfly. I'm back. Sorry I've been away for the past two months. I thought I was keeping everyone safe by doing this, but now I find myself avoiding responsibility. I should have told you everything about our tribe, but I didn't. I should have warned you when I had a problem, but I didn't. After I lost control, I ran away instead of trying to solve the problem, which I shouldn't have. I kept you waiting. I'm sorry, this won't happen again.

[13:59] JPL: Hello, Dragonfly. This is Venkat Kapoor. We accept your apology. There is no need to mention the past, what we have to do now is to focus on the future. The focus is to get the work progress of the Sirius tandem rover back on track so that you can rendezvous with Hermes on Sol 551 as scheduled. The first priority in that regard is to ensure that all of your spacesuits are properly maintained. Our engineers will then have some questions to ask about reducing the weight of Friendship, which will reduce the stress on the rover's chassis.

[14:30] Watney: Yes sir, I understand. I'll do whatever I can to help.

[14:59] JPL: Let’s just say, I’ve always wanted to ask – what does Watney taste like? Sweet? Still salty? It probably won't be spicy, but God knows; after all, the quiet one in the end is always the most unexpected!

[15:02] JPL: This is Capol - find out who sent this and get it on the first flight to Ellington Base immediately! His feet have a date with my office carpet! My brain is not safe!

[15:34] Watney: Mark here - busy recording Tongue Pony. The most interesting thing: Dragonfly’s favorite snack is the young pony’s first love (odd number) because it tastes salty, moist and crunchy.

[16:02] JPL: You definitely made this up.

[16:33] Watney: When we get to Ares 4 MAV, I will finally be able to upload those audio and video files that I have been saving for a long time. You can listen to it yourself if you are interested. All said in English.

[17:32] JPL: If you want to eat, you have to eat a pair!

[17:35] JPL: I’m not kidding! Heads on the ground! Bruce, give me your name!

[17:38] JPL: I'm Spartacus.

[17:39] JPL: I'm Spartacus.

[17:39] JPL: I'm Spartacus.

[17:39] JPL: I'm Groot.

[17:40] JPL: I’m Brian, and so is my wife.

[17:43] JPL: Dragonfly, welcome back...probably.