//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: As the Sun Rises, So Do We 
// by totallynotabrony 
//------------------------------//

	Princess Celestia took a deep breath, preparing once again to stare into the cold, electronic eyes of the new communications suite that was the newest addition to the palatial grounds.  She shuffled the latest briefs and laid them out in front of her, rearranging them for what must have been the fifth time.  Each brief had been typed by various advisors, each striving to present the most up to date information based on his or her expertise.  The alicorn shifted her papers again and finally folded her hooves in front of her and kept her magic still.  Enough was enough.  The stress of the current situation was bad enough without ponies seeing one of their rulers dissolving into a stressed, fidgeting mess. 
The princess glanced up again at the array of cameras and screens.  Celestia prided  herself in keeping up on the latest technology, but everything she saw before her was mind-bogglingly advanced.  There were even upgrades to the previous upgrades—a new telecommunications center had just been built in Canterlot near the palace so that she and her sister could communicate all around the two worlds  after the original Canterlot Castle had proved too difficult to retrofit with advanced electronics.  How far Equestria had come in such a short time.  Shifting slightly under the winking electronic gaze of various unnamed gadgets, Celestia found it helped to think of all this as just a very esoteric and complicated form of scrying spell.  Finally one of her assistants coughed, jerking the millennia-old ruler out of her reverie.
“Everything is ready to go, your Highness,” said Spark.  The technician pony was young, just a colt really, but he knew human devices like the back of his hoof.  Celestia smiled, taking a quick glance at the unicorn’s flank and the telephone emblazoned on it.  It was interesting how opening the dimensional doorways had quickly produced a wave of never-before-seen cutie marks. 
Celestia nodded to the young pony and resisted the urge to reshuffle her notes once again.  “Thank you, Spark.  Please connect me.”
The flat screen in front of her came to life, displaying the face of the NASA Administrator Wallace.  The man blinked and rubbed his hand over a face obviously only recently cleared of stubble.  After a moment to compose himself, Wallace took a long pull from the coffee mug at his side and peered blearily out of the screen.  Celestia could sympathize with the exhausted human.  She’d probably gotten about as much sleep as he had in the past few days—and that wasn’t much.
“Princess, it’s good to see you, although I wish it could be under better circumstances,” said the man.
“As do I.”  Celestia nodded gravely, trying to convey both polite concern and her obvious sense of urgency.  Every second she spent talking with the Administrator was a second neither could really use to solve the problems that plagued them both.  
“Are there any new developments?” 
“I haven’t heard anything since the last package of information was sent to the ESC,” said Wallace.  “I have to say, I expected their director to be contacting me, not you.”
“I have my reasons for that,” the Princess said tersely.  “I need to speak with somepony on the ISS as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll get started on that right way,” promised the Administrator.  “Is there anything else before we try to patch you through?”
“No.  Thank you, Mr. Wallace.  Just let me talk to my little ponies as soon as you can.”  Princess Celestia watched the NASA Administrator carefully as he nodded to one of his own technicians on the human planet.  Wallace said goodbye and the screen cut to a plain blue.  
Celestia sighed, releasing pent up tension as she shifted her position. Her wings fluttered slightly with the nervous energy she’d suppressed during the short teleconference.  The alicorn looked down at the papers in front of her.  Obviously it might take some time to establish communication with the stricken Space Station, but she was sure NASA would do their best to meet her request.  When a sovereign known for being as conciliatory and indirect as the sun princess made straightforward demands, the results were generally noticeable.  That didn’t mean she had to enjoy the wait, though.
“Can I get you anything?” asked Spark.
The Princess opened her mouth, hesitated, and forced herself to relax.  The situation wasn’t hopeless yet, and everypony was looking to her as usual to be the rock of stability in an uncertain situation.  The alicorn shook her head.  “No, Spark.  But thank you for asking.”  
Before the technician could say anything further, the image on the video screen changed again.  The new picture was shadowed, with the glow of the screen on the other end of the conference providing the only light.  
Twilight Sparkle was barely visible, bathed in the meager illumination of the video monitor.  She was wrapped in the lightweight, sparkling shroud of a foil space blanket to preserve body heat.
“Princess!  It’s good to see you!” exclaimed the unicorn, her voice sounding more cheerful than she looked.  Traces of desperation and fear vanished from her face as she smiled.
“I’m glad you’re well, Twilight,” said Celestia, in as calm a voice as she could muster.
“Just a moment, Princess.”  Twilight leaned forward and reached out towards the video equipment.  Abruptly, the screen in front of Celestia went black.
“Sorry about that,” came Twilight’s voice.  “We just can’t justify the extra electrical use with video.”
Celestia nodded, forgetting for the moment that Twilight couldn’t see her.  She leaned forward, quickly getting down to business.  “Twilight, I’ve been reading the reports from NASA as well as some of our own.  Do you recall what I told you about the Nightmare after it was banished?” 
“I remember the conversation,” said Twilight.  She paused.  “Are you saying that the Nightmare has come back?”
“We always knew that was a possibility,” confirmed Celestia.
“The thought that it was the Nightmare causing all this trouble did occur to me, but I didn’t want to believe it.”  Twilight’s voice sounded strained.  “Those of us aboard the Station  haven’t talked about it, but I wouldn’t doubt that the girls probably had the same thought.  It may have been a while since the six of us fought it, but you don’t forget something that evil.”
No, thought Celestia.  You don’t forget something like that in a thousand years.
“Twilight,” said the Princess, “I trust you to do what is necessary to preserve the safety of every member of the crew.  I’m sure you’ll manage to figure something out.”
“I’ll do my best, Princess,” replied Twilight.
Celestia signed off, and NASA broke the connection to the ISS.
“Put me in contact with the ESC,” Celestia told the technician.  “I want the Elements of Harmony aboard the next launch.”



“Did I hear that right?” asked Rainbow, floating closer to Twilight.
“Yes, the Princess thinks our problems might be caused by the Nightmare.”  Twilight sighed.  “I was afraid of this.”
Deep in thought, the blue pegasus did not respond.  Blaming the Nightmare would certainly be easy.  It sounded more reasonable than thinking all those failures had been mere coincidence.
“Anyway, I should probably go tell the rest of the crew,” said Twilight.
“I can do it,” said Rainbow quickly, sensing an opportunity to regain control over the situation.
“Rainbow, I think I know a little more about the situation.”  Twilight chose her words carefully, attempting to avoid another confrontation.
“I fought the Nightmare just like you did,” Rainbow pointed out.  “I may not be the Element of Magic or Celestia’s pen pal, but I can give a brief just as well as you can.”
“Would you rather do this together?” Twilight asked carefully.
Rainbow sighed.  “Fine.”
The two ponies drifted away from the communications equipment and headed for the rest of the crew in the kitchen area.  With the hot water depleted and the microwave off limits to save power, the kitchen was hardly as inviting as it might once have been—but at least with the other four Equestrians and the five humans huddled inside, it was warmer than the rest of the dark compartments and corridors of the dying space station.
Everyone—and everypony—did their best to stay busy while using the minimum amount of energy.  Rarity sipped thin applesauce from a bag.  With Taylor watching, Applejack and Pinkie played checkers with a magnetic board that kept the game pieces from drifting away.  Fluttershy, Fournier, and the Russians appeared to be asleep.
Rainbow and Twilight quietly briefed those who were awake on the information the Princess had provided.
“The Nightmare might be out there?” said Applejack.  She shook her head.  “This is bad.”
“I heard about the Nightmare once,” said Taylor.  “What is it, really?  At the time, it sounded to me like some kind of magical terrorist.”
”It’s not a terrorist,” said Rainbow.  “It has no political or religious goals.  All it cares about is the destruction of everything.”
“Just what are we supposed to do?” asked the Australian.  He looked rather sobered.  
“The Nightmare feeds on negativity: things like wickedness, violence and arguments,” explained Twilight.  She shot a meaningful look at Rainbow.
“I hate to say it, but this is not exactly the best place to be joyful and singing Kumbaya,” said Taylor.  He shrugged.  “Anyway, the rescue team should be up here soon.  I hope nothing else goes wrong.”
“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed Pinkie.  “I have to plan the ‘Welcome Rescue Team’ party!”



Harrison Franks sat nervously at his desk in NASA’s Houston control center. The computer in front of him displayed a live internet video feed from the Russian Republic’s Baikonur Cosmodrome.  On the launch pad, the tall white rocket was being prepared for liftoff.  The steam billowing out of the pre-launch cooling systems gave the rocket the appearance of a living, breathing thing. 
The video showed technicians scurrying everywhere, running checklists in preparation for the launch.  Every last thing had to work perfectly or the mission would fail.  Franks didn’t want to think about the consequences of that.
The phone rang.  Franks grabbed it, fearful that there might have been a complication in the launch plan.  
“Yes?” 
“Mr. Franks, this is Richards at Baikonur.  The ponies just delivered something and they want it put aboard the Rus.”  The voice on the phone was somewhat scratchy due to being transmitted all the way from Kazakhstan. 
“What is it?” asked Franks.
“I don’t know yet,” replied Richards.  “I can have the shipping manifest here in a few minutes.”
“How long will it take to load the package?”  The last thing Franks wanted was for the launch to be delayed.
“They’ve already sealed the auxiliary cargo compartment,” Richards reported.  “We could get it in the capsule, but it would take a little while.”
Franks thought for a moment.  “How much does the package weigh?”
”I don’t have the manifest yet,” Richards reminded him.
It was time to make a tough decision.  Franks said, “Well, we’ve got everything aboard for life support.  Whatever this is, it probably isn’t necessary to keep all of them alive.”
“Are you saying don’t load it?” asked the man.
Franks hesitated, clenching the receiver in his hand.  “That’s right.  If the launch is delayed for any reason, then go ahead and load it.  Otherwise, don’t bother.  Oh, and when you do get the shipping paperwork, call back and tell me what’s inside the package.”
Franks set the phone down and continued watching the launch proceedings.  The mission the rescue crew was about to undertake would be dangerous.  Nothing like it had ever been attempted before.  That was why even a small addition to the cargo could require changes to the launch.  Besides, if it was important, wouldn’t the ponies have told them?



“I don’t like this one bit,” said Taylor.  “If the Nightmare is as bad as you’re telling me, has Celestia already notified world leaders that we have this problem?”
“I’m sure the Princess is working on it,” Twilight assured the Australian.  ”In the meantime, we need to make absolutely sure that we know what we’re dealing with.”
”I thought we’d already decided it’s the Nightmare,” said Rainbow.
Twilight looked at the pegasus in annoyance.  “Well, yes, that is the most likely source of all this trouble.”
“Look Twilight, I know you’re really logic-based.  You like to have facts.”  The pegasus drifted closer to the other pony.  “When lives are on the line, though, you can’t afford to wait for more information.  If it’s the Nightmare, we need to accept that and start working on a solution.”
“Fine, Rainbow.”  There was an edge to Twilight’s voice.  “Let’s agree that the Nightmare is out there.  What’s our next move?”
“We have to fight it,” answered the other pony.
“How?  What are we supposed to do when we’re in outer space?” Twilight demanded.
”You’re the egghead,” said Rainbow, her voice rising.  “Didn’t you say that you know more about it than me?”
“Hang on, now,” said Applejack, putting herself between her two arguing friends.  “We ain’t goin’ to get anywhere by insultin’ each other.”
“Applejack’s correct,” said Rarity.  “What’s wrong with you two?”
“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” said Twilight.  “Arguing with you was wrong.”
Rainbow sighed.  “You’re right.  We shouldn’t be shouting at each other.”
“Let’s wake the rest of them up,” suggested Taylor.  “We’re going to need to put our heads together on this.”



“Hello Mr. Ambassador,” said the security man as he recognized the well-groomed pony approaching him.
Fancypants cut a striking figure.  His blue suit was immaculately tailored, and the coat of hair beneath it was white as snow.
“It’s good to good to see you again.  James, was it?”   The unicorn nodded to the man and smiled warmly. His speech was as polished as the spotless monocle and sparkling gold pocket watch that he wore.
“You remembered me, Mr. Ambassador?” The man sounded pleasantly surprised.  
The Equestrian Ambassador to the U.S. simply smiled wider than before.  The President of the United States himself had once told Fancypants that the pony was the most polite, charismatic diplomat the United States had ever hosted.  There was a reason the Princess had him working directly for her.
“I trust that Mr. Offenhouser is ready for me?” asked Fancypants.
“Right this way.”  The man swung the door to the conference room open.  Offenhouser, the foreign affairs contact for the U.S. State department, was waiting.
“Good afternoon,” said Fancypants.  He glanced around, seeing no other people.  “Will Ambassador Cherkesov be joining us?”
“You’d better believe the Russians are sending him.  They want to know about this.”  The American diplomat seemed more tense than usual.  Fancypants could guess why.  
“I regret the unusual nature of this meeting,” said the pony.  “I’m sure things have been stressful for all of us.”
A few seconds later, the door opened again and the third diplomat came in.  While Fancypants had never met him before, he knew the Russian spoke flawless English.  The Equestrian Ambassador prided himself on being well-informed about his peers.  After exchanging greetings, the three of them sat down at the conference table.
“Why are the Elements of Harmony aboard our rocket?” asked Cherkesov without preamble.
Straight to it, then, thought Fancypants.  
He cleared his throat.  “Gentlemen, we believe that the evil being known as the Nightmare may be the source of the crisis aboard the ISS.”
“Why didn’t we know about this?” asked Offenhouser, a note of annoyance in his voice.
“I’m telling you about it right now,” said Fancypants.  “Equestria has been keeping this information close to the vest with the intention of avoiding a panic.  This was not the best decision we could have made. On behalf of the Princesses and the entire nation, I’d like to apologize to the both of you.”
While Fancypants believed in Celestia’s leadership, he also knew the importance of concession.  It was harder for the other diplomats to be irritated with a pony who fully admitted his mistakes.
“Well, I guess the cards are on the table now,” said Offenhouser.  “What do we do?”
“It was only by luck that the Elements made it aboard the rocket,” said Cherkesov.  “If it weren’t for that delay when one of the cosmonauts got sick, they would still be sitting in a box in Kazakhstan.”
Fancypants shrugged.  “Even in the midst of a crisis, good fortune is not entirely lost.”
“Did you have a backup plan in case the Elements didn’t make it aboard the rocket?” asked Offenhouser.
“We were working on something,” said the pony.  Before either of the men could ask what, he added, “Fortunately, that won’t be needed now.”
“You’re confident that everything will function as planned?” asked the Russian.
“I am.  I believe everything will work if we all do our best.”  
Fancypants gestured to Cherkesov.  “The Russian Federal Space Agency is taking care of transportation and vehicles.”  
To Offenhouser, the pony said, “NASA is handling mission control.”  
He folded his hooves in front of him.  “And Equestria will be dealing with the Nightmare.”
“You’re saying we should do what we’re good at?” asked Offenhouser.
“That’s a fine way of putting it,” said Fancypants.
“Humans as a whole are good at destroying things,” commented Cherkesov.  “What if some country gets the idea to strike at the Nightmare themselves?”
Fancypants knew he had to be careful with his reply.  The fact that the Russian was even saying it meant that the thought of attacking the Nightmare had crossed his mind.  Offenhouser looked interested, too.
“I’m sure that fighting an incorporeal being that is currently residing in outer space would be very difficult” said the pony.  “A small weapon like a missile wouldn’t hurt it and something more powerful like a nuclear device would cause more problems than it would solve.”
That did it.  Mentioning nukes was usually enough to get humans to stop and reconsider the situation.
Offenhouser sighed.  “Very well.  I’ll leave the Nightmare to you.  Do you agree, Mr. Cherkesov?”
The Russian nodded.  “It’s a job for Equestria.  Please see that our people in orbit are protected.”
“And ours too,” said the American.
“I’ll make sure of it,” Fancypants promised.  The pony bid the humans goodbye and walked out of the room.  Nodding to the security man, he continued towards the exit.
While Fancypants hadn’t said anything to the two diplomats, he would bet that the cosmonaut’s sudden illness was not random chance.  A lot of ponies worked for Celestia, and some of them had very special talents indeed.  
The Equestrian Ambassador frowned to himself.  The Elements of Harmony were now on their way to space, but the problem was not yet solved.  He could only wonder what the mares aboard that wretched Space Station were going through.
Fancypants wished the six of them luck.     

Author note:
I honestly can not say when I'll get off my lazy duff and write the next chapter, so for now this story will remain on hiatus.  I want to thank Fernin for talking me out of my original idea for this chapter: the Americans and Russians on the verge of nuking the ISS.  While the drama would have been interesting to write about, I'd rather not have to describe the political fallout.  (not to mention the atomic fallout)